THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 

GIFT  OF 


Ifyron  M.  Winslaw 


Kai'oijcon  at  Mal.maison. 


THE  LIFE  OF 

NAPOLEON    BONAPARTE 

By  P.  C.  HEADLEY 


Author  of  "LIFE  OF  THE  MARQUIS  DE  LAFA- 
YETTE," "LIFE  OF  MARY  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS," 
"LIFE  OF  KOSSUTH,"  etc.,  etc.  ^«         ^<  >< 


WITH    AN   INTRODUCTION 

By  G.  mercer  ADAM 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,     j*     ^     ^     ^ 
^      ^      ^      PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1903, 
By  E.  a.  BRAINERD, 


1 


1^ 


TO 

B.    C.    CLARKE,    ESQ., 

THE  CHRISTIAN  MERCHANT, 
AND  THE   ELOQUENT  ADVOCATE  OF   HUMAN    FREEDOM, 

IS     RESPECTFULLY     DEDICATED, 

AS    AN     EXPRESSION     OF     SINCERE     REGARD 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  the  public  with  this  new  biography  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the  author  did  not  expect  to  add 
new  facts,  or  modify  those  with  which  the  world  is  fa- 
miliar, in  his  career.  We  have  quoted  often  from  well- 
known  authors  the  mere  statement  of  stereotyped  facts, 
and  have  endeavored,  in  the  great  condensation  of  matter 
necessary  in  a  volume  no  larger  than  this  biography, 
to  embrace  all  the  illustrative  and  stirring  scenes  in 
Napoleon's  history.  The  authors  chiefly  referred  to  are 
Bourrienne,  The  Berkley  Men,  Lockhart,  Von  Eotteck, 
Encyclopedia  Americana,  Confidential  Correspondence 
with  Joseph,  and  Abbott's  Napoleon.  A  striking  fact, 
omitted  entirely  by  the  latter,  the  invasion  of  St.  Do- 
mingo, is  given  at  length,  from  documents  furnished 
by  B.  C.  Clarke,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  ex-Consul  at  Hayti, 
from  which,  by  his  permission,  extracts  are  freely 
made.  With  but  little  comment  generally,  the  convinc- 
ing testimony  of  the  recently  published  Confidential 
Correspondence,  upon  some  of  the  darkest  deeds  of  Na- 
poleon,is  furnished  by  the  insertion  of  interesting  letters. 
The  views  expressed  on  these  pages  are  neither  those  of 
unqualified  and  bitter  condemnation,  which  distinguish 
Scott  and  Lockhart  ;  nor  the  equally  extreme  and  more 
dangerous  sentiments  of  boundless  admiration  and  ful- 
some praise,  which  glow  in  the  language,  and  on  every 

? 


vi  PREFACE. 

page  of  the  more  attrac  tive  volumes  of  Mr.  Abbott.  We 
caunot,  we  confess,  comprehend  the  apparent  sincerity 
of  this  author,  in  the  delineation  of  Napoleon  as  a  re- 
j^ublican  philanthropist ;  a  faithful  husband  ;  a  warrior 
who  grieved  over  the  necessity  of  shedding  blood  ;  and 
finally,  a  martyr  saint  on  the  rocks  of  St.  Helena.  He 
was  not  a  monster  of  unalleviated  depravity  ;  nor  was 
he  a  truly  j)hilanthropic  and  good  man.  He  loved  his 
chosen  profession  of  arms  ;  he  began  his  career  a  repub- 
lican ;  he  grew  in  frame  and  ambition,  until  he  believed 
himself  appointed  to  rule  and  redeem- a  continent.  In 
the  pursuit  of  liis  object,  like  the  unjust  judge,  "  he 
neither  feared  God,  nor  regarded  man." 

The  King  of  kings  hung  a  dark  cloud  over  his  "star 
of  destiny,"  when  the  cruel  blow  fell  on  the  exiled  wife, 
whose  only  crime  was  that  heaven  had  written  her  to 
him  childless.  That  cloud  expanded  till  it  darkened  all 
the  sky  ;  and  bolt  after  bolt  came  down  upon  his  lofty 
brow,  and  laid  it  low  on  a  captive's  pillow  within  the 
confines  of  a  rocky  island,  where,  Prometheus-like,  he 
was  compelled  to  feel  the  wasting  power  of  burning 
memories  and  awakened  conscience,  nntil  death  removed 
him  to  a  more  righteous  adjudication. 

We  quote,  in  conclusion,  from  an  editorial  in  a  leading 
paj^er  of  the  daily  press,  the  name  of  whose  author  is  to 
us  unknown  ;  but  whose  summary  of  character  and  re- 
salts  must  command  the  assent  of  the  impartial  reader 
of  history  : 

"  No  pirate  ever  more  foully  decoyed,  by  the  use  of  a 
false  flag,  a  merchantman  into  his  clutches,  than  Napo- 
leon possessed  himself  of  Spain,  so  far  as  he  ever  did  pos- 
sess it.  There  was  absolutely  no  French,  no  Bonapart- 
ean  party  among  the  Spanish  i)oople  from  first  to  last — 
barely  a  little  handful  of  titled  office-seekers,  and  noth- 
ing more.     The  greatest  mistake  of  Napoleon's  career. 


PREFACE.  vii 

because  tlie  most  flagrant  crime,  was  that  which  trans- 
I'ormed  the  SjDanish  nation  from  serviceable  allies  into 
annoying,  wasting,  exhausting,  if  not  formidable  foes. 
A  true  history  of  Xapoleon  would  show  that,  whereas 
the  good  deeds  of  his  career  were  abundantly  prospered 
and  recompensed,  and  the  enemies  who  wantonly  con- 
spired to  overthrow  him  were  always  defeated  and  hum- 
bled, so,  when  he  began  wantonly  to  tramjile  on  the 
necks  of  nations,  he  sowed  dragon's  teeth,  whence  arose 
in  due  time  the  foes  who  crushed  him.  His  Italian,  Aus- 
trian, Prussian,  Polish  campaigns  were  generally  success- 
ful, because  ho  had  right  on  his  side  ;  while  his  Egyptian, 
Spanish,  Russian  forays,  though  promising  success  at  the 
outset,  proved  disastrous,  and  finally  ruinous,  because 
they  were  impelled  by  rapacity  and  founded  in  wrong. 
*  *  *  Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  the  kings  were 
impotent  against  the  Man  of  Destiny,  until  the  people 
rallied  to  his  overthrow — until  German  and  Spaniard 
went  with  Puss  and  Hun  to  compass  his  downfall.  The 
monarchs  afterward  betrayed  the  masses,  and  snatched 
most  of  the  fruits  of  the  common  conquest ;  for  which  let 
them  be  held  to  the  sternest  reckoning;  but  let  not  this 
obscure  the  great  truth  that  Napoleon  fell  because  he 
betrayed  the  sacred  cause  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  man, 
and  leagued  himself  with  the  jDCople's  hereditary  oppress- 
ors, divorcing  his  noble  and  faithful  wife,  to  intermarry 
with  them,  laboring  personally  to  eradicate  from  the 
mind  of  Alexander  his  liberal  impulses,  reducing  France 
to  a  state  of  Asiatic  despotism,  and  the  surrounding 
nations  to  that  of  her  conquest,  professing  an  intense 
horror  of  'Jacobins,' by  which  term  he  designated  all 
earnest  republicans,  though  he  had  himself  been  a  pro- 
fessor not  merely  of  republicanism,  but  of  Jacobism,  in 
his  obscure  and  powerless  youth.  "When  Napoleon's  true 
character  shall  be  inscribed  on  his  tomb,  the  awed  mil- 


viii  PREFACE. 

lions  shall  gather  before  it  and  read — '  Here  lies  the 
thunderbolt,  the  idol,  the  spoiled  child  of  democracy, 
who  betrayed  her  to  make  himself  an  emperor,  and  died 
a  fettered  and  heart-broken  exile.  Let  all  who  may 
hereafter  be  tempted  to  betray  the  cause  of  Human 
Liberty  be  warned  by  his  example. *' 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Napoieon's  birthplace.— The  Bonaparte  family.— The  mother's  character. 
—Napoleon's  boyhood. — Enters  the  Military  School  at  Brienne. — Incid- 
ents while  there. — Revisits  Corsica  and  meets  General  Paoli. — He  is  pro- 
moted to  a  place  in  the  Royal  Military  Academy  of  Paris.— His  fraternal 
interest. — Receives  a  Lieutenant's  commissiou. — Falls  in  love. — Life  at 
Valence.— His  appearance  at  M.  Neckar's  party. — Is  present  at  the 
storming  of  the  King's  palace  by  the  populace. — France  and  Napoleon.— 
Again  visits  Corsica.— Is  arrested. — The  flight  of  the  Bonaparte  family. — 
The  siege  of  Toulon.— Junot.— The  general  assault.— The  victory.- The 
slaughter.— Napoleon  appointed  on  the  Coast  Survey.— Appointed  Chief 
of  Battalion. — Another  love-affair.— Family  destitution. — Letters. — The 
Convention  and  Napoleon. — The  insurrections  of  the  Sections. — The  de- 
feat.— Eugene  and  his  father's  sword.— Napoleon  and  Josephine.   Page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Napoleon  is  appointed  to  the  chief  command. — His  youth.— Leaves  Paris 
for  Nice. — Visits  his  mother. — The  contending  armies. — The  character 
of  Napoleon. — His  new  tactics. — His  address  to  the  soldiers. — The  objects 
of  the  campaign. — The  route  of  passing  the  Alps. — The  conflict. — The 
victory.— The  pursuit  of  the  Austrians. — Reaches  Cherasco,  near  Turin. 
— Dictates  terms  of  peace  to  the  king  of  Sardinia. — Again  addresses  the 
army. — His  knowledge  of  men. — Morals. — Crosses  the  Po.— Battle  of 
Lodi  — Napoleon  at  Jlilan. — Letter  to  Joseph. — Treaty  with  the  dukes  of 
Parma  and  Modena. — Address  to  the  army.— Jealousy  of  the  Directory. 
— Napoleon  pursues  the  Austrians. — Insurrection  in  Lombardy. — Treaty 
with  the  Vatican. — Wurmzer  appointed  to  the  command. — ^The  Austrians 
advance. — Battle  of  Lonato. — Napoleon's  peril. — Incidents.^ — Letter  to 
Joseph. — Castiglione. — Retreat  of  Wurmzer. — Mantua  besieged. — Alvinzi 
sent  into  Italy. —The  battles  of  Areola.— Alvinzi  routed. — Battle  of  Rivoli. 
— Mantua  surrenders. — Letter  to  Josephine.— Napoleon's  success.  Page  35 

CHAPTER  III. 

Napoleon  and  the  Pope.— Venice.— Archduke  Charles.— Battle  of  Taglia- 
mento. — Incidents.— Retreat  of  Charles. — Negotiations. — Pichegru. — The 
Directory.- Treaty  of  Campo  Formio.— Court  of  Milan. — Josephine.— 
Napoleon  at  Eastadt.— He  reaches  Paris.— His  reception.— Life  at  the 

ix 


t  CONTENTS, 

Capital. — Napoleon  and  England.  -He  is  appointed  to  command  an  In- 
vasion of  England. — He  urges  an  expedition  to  Egypt.— Embarkation. — 
Malta  taken. — Letter  to  Joseph. — He  arrives  at  Alexandria. — Addresses 
the  Army  and  the  Egyptians. — March  up  the  Nile. — The  Mauielukes.^ — 
Battle  of  the  Pyramids.— Cairo  taken.— Letter  to  Joseph. — Battle  of 
Aboukir.— Napoleon's  Power. — Expedition  to  the  Red  Sea. — Siege  of 
Acre.— The  Plague. — Napoleon  retreats  to  Egypt. — Scenes  in  the  March. 
— The  Turks  defeated  at  Aboukir.— Napoleon  returns  to  France. — Rea- 
sons.—The  Domestic  Sorrow.— The  Reconciliation.— The  Crisis.    Page  V4 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Napoleon  in  Paris.— The  18th  Brviraire. — Napoleon  at  St.  Cloud. — The 
consular  government.— The  motives  of  Napoleon. — Reforms. — The  new 
constitution. — Napoleon  at  the  Tuilleries.— Josephine.— Personal  appear- 
ance of  the  first  consul. — News  of  Washington's  death.— The  Bourbons. 
— Napoleon's  policy. — Propositions  of  peace  with  England. — Correspond- 
ence.—Causes  of  war.— Movements  of  the  armies.— Capitulation  of 
Genoa.— Napoleon  at  Marengo. —The  battle.— The  results.- -Napoleon  at 
Milan.— Renewed  hopes  of  the  Bourbons. — A  new  campaign.— Battle  of 
Hohenlinden.— The  emperor  sues  for  peace.— Napoleon  returns. — His 
work  of  reform  of  national  advancement.— The  infernal  machine.— The 
spring  of  1801.— The  battle  of  Copenhagen.— The  English  take  Egypt.— 
Invasion  of  England.— Peace  of  Amiens.— Letters.— Napoleon's  designs 
of  reform.— Treaty  with  the  Pope.— Legion  of  honor.— Consulate  for 
life. — Colonial  conquests.— Napoleon  and  the  invasion  of  Hayti.  Page  115 


CHAPTER  V. 

Omens  of  discord  between  England  and  France. — Violations  of  treaty. — 
Abuse  of  Napoleon.— Remonstrance.— Interview  of  the  First  Consul  with 
Lord  Whitworth.— Declaration  of  war.— Successes.— Descent  upon  Eng- 
land.—Conspiracy.— Pichegru.— Duke  d'Enghien.— Napoleon  emperor. 
—The  coronation.— Napoleon's  sway.— Coronation  at  Milan.— Napoleon 
hastens  to  Paris.— Omens  of  war.— New  coalition  against  France.— Na- 
poleon desires  peace. — The  conflict  openj.- Napoleon  is  victorious. — Ad- 
dress to  the  soldiers.— Marches  toward  Vienna.— Correspondence. —Aus- 
terlitz.— Letters.- Treaty  of  peace  at  Presburg.— Death  of  Pitt.— Royal 
plans.-Letters.— Naples  seized.— Sub-kingdoms.— Napoleon  and  Mr.  Fox. 
—Letters.— Another  campaign.— Prussia  enters  the  field.— Battle  of  Jena 
and  Auerstadt.— Napoleon  enters  Berlin.— Letters.— Pardons  Prince 
Hatzfleld Page  165 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  position  of  the  hostile  parties.— The  Berlin  decrees.— The  war  goes 
on.— Battle  of  Eylau.— Letter  to  Josephine.— Offers  of  peace  rejected.— 
Preparations  for  another  campaign.-- -Battle  of  Friedland.— The  peace  of 
Tilsit.— Friendship  of  Napoleon  and  Alexander.- Correspondence.— Na- 


CONTENTS.  XI 

pwleon's  magnificent  plans. — Code  Napoleon.— Designs  upon  Spain  and 
Portugal.— Letters. — Tour  to  Italy. — Disagreement  with  Lucien.— Por- 
tugal taken.— Invasion  of  Spain. — Letters.— The  abdication.— Joseph 
designated  for  the  vacant  throne.— His  reluctant  and  unquiet  reign.— The 
meeting  of  the  emperors  at  Erfurth. — Josephine's  divorce  suggested. — 
Revolution  in  Spain.— Victories.-Letters.— Joseph  again  enthroned. — 
His  complaint  of  Napoleon.— Intelligence  of  an  Austrian  campaign. — 
Battles  of  Eckmuhl  and  Wagram. — Quarrel  with  the  Pope.— Peace. — 
Divorce  of  Josephine Page  318 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  choice  of  a  new  empress. — Josephine's  experience.— Napoleon's  power 
shaken. — The  birth  of  a  prince.- Propositions  of  peace  with  England.— 
War  with  Russia. — His  progress  to  Dresden. — He  reaches  Dantzic. — The 
Grand  Army  cross  the  Niemen. — Tlie  Poles  hail  the  presence  of  the  em- 
peror with  hope. — The  Russian  method  of  destruction  to  the  enemy. — 
Napoleon  enters  Moscow. — He  occupies  the  Kremlin. — Letter  to  Alex- 
ander.—Conflagration  of  Moscow.— The  retreat.— The  march  to  Smolensk. 
— Conspiracy  in  Paris. — Marshal  Ney. — His  supposed  deatti — His  rescue. 
— The  wasting  army  reach  the  Beresina. — The  tragical  crossing  of  the 
river  Wilna.— Napoleon  returns  to  Paris.— Reaches  the  palace  at  night.— 
The  rear-guard  of  the  Grand  Army Page  280 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

Napoleon's  reception  after  the  defeat  in  Russia— His  character. — The  new 
coalition— Battle  of  Lutzen.— Entrance  into  Dresden.— Battle  of  Bautzen. 
— Negotiations.— Metternich.— The  plan  of  campaign. — Siege  of  Dresden. 
—Disasters.— Napoleon's  desperate  courage.- Battle  of  Leipsic. — Murat 
abandons  the  Emperor's  cause.— Treachery  of  the  Allies.— The  Senate 
of  France  falter  in  their  support. — Napoleon's  rebuke. — Correspondence 
with  Joseph.— Napoleon  at  the  Tuilleries. — He  enters  on  the  final  strug- 
gle.—Battle  of  Brienne. — Letters.— Want  of  arms.— Letters.— The  prog- 
ress of  the  Allies.— Napoleon's  expedition  on  the  Marne. — His  victories. 
—  Letters  from  Joseph  on  the  condition  of  Paris. — Negotiations  for 
Peace.— Napoleon's  account  of  the  crisis  in  his  affairs. — His  policy  in  his 
extremity. — Battle  of  Leon.— Rheims. — Letters  to  Joseph. — The  last 
struggle.— The  Allies  advance  toward  Paris. — The  flight  of  the  Court. — 
The  capitulation Page  309 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Caulaincourt  secures  an  interview  with  the  Czar  of  Russia. — Scenes  in 
the  capital. — Correspondence  between  Napoleon  and  Joseph. — The  ab- 
dication.— The  royal  debate  upon  the  disposal  of  the  fallen  emperor.— 
Marmont's  treachery.— The  conditions  of  the  allies.— Joseph  urges 
peace.— Napoleon's  anguish.— Attempts  suicide. — Adieu  to  his  army. — 
Josephine  and  Maria  Louise.— Napoleon  embarks  for  Elba.— The  return 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

of  Louis  XVIII.— His  reign.— Napoleon  at  Elba.— His  return  to  France.— 
The  tidings  reach  Talleyrand  on  the  eve  of  a  ball. — Vain  attempt  to 
regain  the  empress  and  her  son. — Letters.— The  exile  again  on  the 
throne. — The  allies  enter  the  field. — Napoleon  leads  the  French  army. — 
The  plan  of  the  campaign. — The  battles  of  Ligny  and  Quatre-Bras. — 
Waterloo.— The  charge  of  the  Old  Guard.— The  victory  of  Wellington. — 
The  flight  of  Napoleon.— He  reaches  the  Elysee.— The  meeting  of  the 
Chambers.— The  Debates. — The  abdication Page  863 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  second  abdication. — The  indecision  and  distress  of  Napoleon.— He 
resolves  to  take  refuge  in  the  United  States.— He  leaves  Malmaison 
for  Rochef ort. — Letter  from  Bertrand  to  Joseph. — Negotiations  vv'ith 
England  for  passports. — These  are  denied. — Napoleon  throvv's  himself 
upon  the  mercy  of  England. — The  reception,  and  voyage  to  the 
English  coast. — The  decision  respecting  the  emperor's  fate. — He  con- 
templates suicide. — The  departure  for  St.  Helena.— Arrival  at  the 
island.— Napoleon's  residence. — His  treatment  in  exile.— His  habits. — 
Progress  of  disease. — His  religious  character. — His  last  hou  rs. — General 
Bertrand's  account  of  the  emperor's  death. — His  burial. — The  re- 
moval of  his  remains  to  France Page  389 


Iiq'TRODUCTORY  NOTE. 


Unexampled  is  the  career  of  I^apoleon,  "  the  Man 
of  Destiny,"  who,  though  he  intoxicated  France  for 
well  nigh  twenty  years  and  deluged  Europe  with 
blood,  yet  for  a  time  seemed  to  lay  the  world  at  his 
feet,  and  by  his  transcendent  genius  and  phenomenal 
military  qualities  performed  prodigies  of  valor,  and 
stands  out  on  the  canvas  the  peer  of  the  great  cap- 
tains, warriors,  and  strategists  of  history.  With 
Caesar  and  Alexander,  with  Conde,  Marlborough,  and 
the  Great  Erederick,  he  is  ranked,  by  reason  of  his 
splendid  personal  daring  and  dazzling  military 
achievements,  as  well  as  by  his  dauntlessness  when  re- 
verses came  upon  him,  by  the  marvellous  resources 
of  his  mind,  and  the  vigor  and  force  of  his  indomita- 
ble will.  Though  the  niche  he  fills  is  large  among  the 
great  personages  of  history,  we  cannot  forget  that  his 
was  an  untoward  force  in  Europe  in  his  time,  ad- 
verse alike  to  peace  and  civilization,  or  that  he  earned 
for  himself  the  hateful  epithets  of  despot  and  usurper. 
His  career  thus  affords  impressive  lessons  for  all  time, 
and  teaches  us  that  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  not  ad- 
vanced or  the  millennial  era  furthered  by  the  lust 
of  conquest  and  the  love,  for  its  own  sake,  of  military 
glory. 

The  famous  Corsican,  as  all  know,  was  born  at 

xiii 


xiv  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

Ajaccio  in  1769,  and  died  a  prisoner  in  exile  on  St. 
Helena  in  1821.  Between  these  periods  he  had  a 
phenomenal  career,  and  though  the  fortunes  of  war 
were  at  times  hostile  to  him,  and  his  defeats  were 
many  and  often  terrible  in  their  consequences,  his 
victories  were  as  often  magnificent  and  his  triumphs 
dazzling,  though  not  lasting.  To  take  up  and  study 
Mr.  P.  C.  Headley's  "  Life  of  ISTapoleon,"  which  we 
here  introduce,  is  to  recall  many  momentous  events  in 
the  Napoleonic  drama,  and  to  give  one's-self  the  de- 
light of  reading  an  entertaining  as  well  as  an  instruc- 
tive volume.  The  work  has  deserved  the  popularity  it 
has  earned,  for  it  has  taken  high  rank  among  the 
many  biographies  of  the  great  Emperor,  while  it  is 
free  alike  from  excessive  hero-worship  and  from  that 
spirit  of  detraction  which  has  characterized  so  many 
studies  of  N^apoleon.  The  work  is  compendious, 
rather  than  tediously  detailed  and  exhaustive.  It 
deals,  however,  with  all  the  chief  incidents  in  the 
great  warrior's  career,  and  shows  us  his  vaulting  am- 
bition and  its  remarkable  results ;  and  w^e  follow, 
often  with  breathless  interest,  the  narrative  of  the 
many  and  arduous  campaigns  he  engaged  in,  from  the 
outset  of  his  career  in  Italy  to  its  close  on  the  san- 
guinary field  of  Waterloo,  with  its  sequel  of  surrender 
to  the  British  and  six  years  of  enforced  exile  on  St. 
Helena.  The  story  is  told  with  animation  and  effec- 
tiveness, especially  when  w^e  enter  upon  the  incidents 
of  the  conquest  of  Egypt  and  the  subjugation  of 
Syria,  through  the  account  of  Napoleon's  operations 
in  Spain,  the  invasion  of  Austria,  the  crushing  of  the 
Prussian  army  at  Jena,  his  seizure  of  Portugal  and 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE.  XV 

entry  into  Lisbon,  the  annexation  of  Holland  and  the 
Papal  States,  the  disastrous  war  with  Russia  and  its 
direful  consequences,  down  to  the  defiance  of  all  the 
allied  Powers  of  Europe  and  the  bitter  end  at  Water- 
loo, with  the  flight  to  Paris  and  final  abdication.  The 
storj  on  every  page  is  replete  with  interest,  as  it  is 
crowded  with  incident,  and  compact  in  its  presenta- 
tion of  every  fact  of  importance  in  the  heroic  though 
tragic  life  of  the  great  Emperor. 

G.  jMekcee  Adam. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAETE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Napoleon's  birthplace.— The  Bonaparte  family.— The  mother's  character. 
—Napoleon's  boyhood. — Enters  the  Military  School  at  Brienne.— Incid- 
ents while  there. — Revisits  Corsica  and  meets  General  Paoli.— He  is  pro- 
moted to  a  place  in  the  Royal  Military  Academy  of  Paris. — His  fraternal 
interest. — Receives  a  Lieutenant's  commission. — Falls  in  love. — Life  at 
Valence.— His  appearance  at  M.  Neckar's  party. — Is  present  at  the 
storming  of  the  King's  palace  by  the  populace.— France  and  Napoleon.— 
Again  visits  Corsica. — Is  arrested. — The  flight  of  the  Bonaparte  family. — 
The  siege  of  Toulon.— Junot.— The  general  assault. — The  victory.— The 
slaughter.— Napoleon  appointed  on  the  Coast  Survey. — Appointed  Chief 
of  Battalion. — Another  love-affair.— Family  destitution. — Letters. — The 
Convention  and  Napoleon. — The  insurrection  of  the  Sections. — The  de- 
feat.—Eugene  and  his  father's  sword.— Napoleon  and  Josephine. 

Corsica,  the  third  iu  extent,  among  the  Italian 
islands,  lies  in  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
sea,  one  hundred  miles  from  France,  and  fifty  from 
Tuscany.  It  contains  nearly  four  thousand  square 
miles,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  inhabitants. 
Its  scenery  is  varied.  Traversed  by  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, whose  summits  are  covered  with  perpetual  snow, 
veined  with  rivers,  and  abounding  in  fruitful  valleys, 
the  island  presents  wild  and  beautiful  landscapes. 
Successively  under  the  sway  of  the  Carthaginians, 
Romans,  Vandals,  Greeks,  G-oths  and  Genoese,  in  1769 
it  nominally  submitted  to  the  French,  though  partisan 
warfare  continued  many  years.  The  population,  chiefly 
Italians  in  origin  and  customs,  never  developed  the  re- 
sources of  their  productive  soil.     Multitudes  lived  on 


2  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

chestnuts  ;  but  cherished  the  love  of  freedom  and  in- 
dependence, indomitable  valor,  and  unrelenting  revenge 
of  a  wrong. 

August  15,  17G9,  at  Ajaccio,  two  months  after  the 
subjugation  of  Corsica  b}-  the  French,  Letitia  Bonaparte 
gave  birth  to  her, second  son,  Napoleon.  His  father 
was  of  ancient  and  honorable  descent.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful lawyer,  but  when  the  French  army  landed,  he 
enlisted  under  the  command  of  General  Paoli,  to  fight 
the  battles  of  his  brave  countrymen. 

His  noble  wife  was  from  the  distinguished  family  of 
Kamolini,  and  Avas  regarded  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
maidens  of  Corsica.  She  was  married  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  and  became  a  widow  at  thirty-five,  with  eight 
living  children,  and  three  among  the  dead.  The  family 
group,  whose  names  have  been  so  conspicuous  in  the 
annals  of  France,  were  Joseph,  Napoleon,  Lucien,  Louis, 
Jerome,  Eliza,  Pauline,  and  Caroline. 

Of  Napoleon's  mother  he  has  given  a  brief  but  sug- 
gestive sketch  :  'SShe  had  the  head  of  a  man  on  the 
shoulders  of  a  Avoman.  Left  Avithout  a  guide  or  pro- 
tector, she  was  obliged  to  assume  the  management  of 
affairs  ;  but  the  burden  did  not  overcome  her.  She 
administered  everything  Avitli  a  degree  of  sagacity  not 
to  be  expected  from  her  age  and  sex.  Her  tenderness 
Avas  joined  with  severity :  she  punished,  rcAvarded,  all 
alike  ;  the  good,  the  bad,  nothing  escajacd  her.  Losses, 
lu'ivations,  fatigue,  had  no  effect  upon  her  ;  she  en- 
dured all,  braved  all.  Ah!  what  a  AVoman  !  Where 
look  for  her  equal  ?  " 

She  bore  within  her  graceful  form  the  future  Emperor, 
amid  the  stormy  scenes  of  revolution  :  and  returned 
from  an  expedition  among  the  mountains,  Avhither  she 
had  folloAved  her  husband,  to  give  the  world  the  gifted 
child.     If  these  facts  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Intel- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  3 

lectual  power  and  bias  of  the  son,  they  were  significant 
of  his  marvelous  career  npon  the  battle-field  of  a  hemi- 
sphere. Sixteen  years  later,  in  1785,  Charles  Bonaparte, 
the  father,  died  at  Montpelier,  in  France,  of  cancer  in 
the  stomach  ;  an  hereditary  disease,  transmitted  to  the 
illustrious  son. 

Besides  the  city  residence,  Madame  Bonaparte's 
brother  had  a  beautiful  villa  on  the  sea-shore.  Massive 
rocks  stood  around  it,  and  the  solitude  was  undisturbed, 
excepting  by  the  murmur  of  the  waves  breaking  gently 
npon  the  beach,  and  the  merry  voices  of  childhood. 
Neither  the  mother,  her  brother,  nor  the  hajipy  chil- 
dren, dreamed  that  the  delicate  feet,  whose  impression 
on  the  sand  the  advancing  tides  effaced,  were  to  shake 
thrones  in  their  march  of  power,  and  echo  in  the  palace- 
halls  of  many  kingdoms. 

The  ruins  of  this  romantic  retreat  still  bear  the  name 
of  "  Napoleon^s  Grotto,"  and  stories  are  told  of  his 
solitary  reveries  under  the  shadow  of  the  leaning  granite, 
and  on  the  margin  of  the  sea  ;  of  his  young  love  for  an 
Italian  girl,  Giacominetta  ;  which,  on  account  of  his 
careless  attire,  was  the  subject  of  a  couplet  shouted 
after  him  in  his  pastimes  at  school  : 

"  Napoleon  di  mezza  calgetta, 
Faramore  3,  Giacominetta."  * 

He  was  not  an  attractive,  though  remarkable  boy. 
His  reserve,  and  an  irritability,  which  D'Israeli  would 
call  "  the  irritability  of  genius,"  repelled  familiarity, 
and  even  made  his  brothers  and  sisters  distant,  while 
they  recognized  his  intellectual  superiority.  A  vener- 
able uncle,  Lucien  Bonaparte,  when  dying,  called  the 
children  to  his  side,  and  said  to  Joseph,  '*  You,  Joseph, 
are  the  eldest  ;  but  N'apoleon  is  the  head  of  the  family. 
Take  care  to  remember  my  words." 

*  '*  Napoleon  with  his  stockings  half  off. 
Makes  love  to  Giacominetta." 


4  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAETB. 

Napoleon's  favorite  sport  was  mimic  battle  with  his 
miniature  brass  cannon,  displaying  the  almost  invaria- 
ble fact  in  the  early  history  of  eminent  talent ;  the  drift 
of  the  mental  powers  ;  the  direction,  under  occult  and 
forming  influences,  of  the  greatest  efficiency  and  suc- 
cess of  a  mind  which  has  a  work  to  do,  and  which  but 
few  men,  if  any  other  one,  could  perform.  Various 
incidents  disclosed  his  self-reliance  and  pride  of  char- 
acter. 

He  was  once  accused  of  a  fault  committed  by  an 
associate  ;  but  scorning  to  declare  his  innocence,  he 
suffered  without  a  complaint  the  unmerited  punishment. 
At  anotlier  time,  when  detected  regaling  his  api)etite 
on  figs  in  an  orchai'd  near  his  home,  the  proprietor 
threatened  to  reveal  his  guilt  to  his  mother.  This  was 
more  than  he  could  endure  in  silence  ;  for  he  both 
feared  and  loved  the  maternal  guide  of  his  youth. 
With  simple  eloquence,  he  pleaded  his  cause,  and 
gained  his  suit.  Napoleon  had  heard  much  of  the 
French  invasions  and  fierce  conflicts  ;  and  he  cordially 
hated  the  people  who  afterward  adored  him,  and  to 
whom  he  gave  his  warmest  affection.  January,  1779, 
Napoleon,  then  ten  years  of  age,  accompanied  his 
father,  who  was  a  member  of  the  deputation  represent- 
ing the  Corsican  noblesse,  to  the  Court  of  Louis  XVI., 
and  entered  the  military  school  at  Brienne,  where 
Count  Marbeuf  had  obtained  for  him  admission.  The 
parting  with  his  mother  was  so  touching,  the  impression 
remained  fresh  upon  his  mind  during  all  the  years  of  his 
stormy  life. 

The  exciting  scenes  of  travel,  and  the  splendor  of 
Paris,  were  new  and  strange  to  the  young  islander,  whose 
existence  dawned  and  deepened  into  rosy  morning  among 
the  ancient  dwellings  and  secluded  retreats  of  the  land 
he  cherished.     At  Brienne,  he  exjcountered  an  unex- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  5 

pected  embarrassment,  which  stung  his  proud  spirit. 
lie  was  au  Italian,  with  limited  means  of  support. 
Around  him  were  sons  of  the  aristocracy,  speaking  the 
language  of  France,  and  without  disguise,  revealing  a 
bitter  scorn  of  his  humbler  position.  His  hatred  of  the 
French  was  made  intense  ;  and  with  a  threat  of  revenge 
for  the  insult,  he  withdrew  from  the  associations  of  the 
gay  scions  of  a  waning  nobility,  and  devoted  himself  to 
the  severest  studies  of  the  institution.  In  general  liter- 
ature he  was  not  ambitious  of  excellence,  but  in  the 
branches  which  directly  told  upon  the  soldier's  complete 
preparation  for  the  field  of  action,  he  rapidly  rose  above 
all  rivals,  and  stood  at  the  head  of  the  aspiring  candi- 
dates for  military  honors.  To  the  students  were  allowed 
plots  of  land,  to  be  used  for  profit  or  pleasure  according 
to  the  choice  of  each.  Napoleon  approjjriated  liis 
portion  to  solitary  study,  adding  shrubbery  and  flowers 
to  increase  its  shade  and  beauty.  Here,  as  at  all  times, 
he  nourished  that  thirst  for  military  glory,  which  death 
only  quenched,  freezing  upon  his  silent  lips  the  shout 
of  conflict,  "  Tote  d'  armee  !  '*' 

During  the  remarkable  winter  of  1784,  when  snow  lay 
in  heaps  around  Brienne,  Napoleon  rallied  the  students 
under  his  command,  to  erect,  on  scientific  principles,  an 
immense  fortification  from  the  frost-quarry  nature  had 
bountifully  furnished.  The  completed  fort  was  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  thousands.  The  general  of 
both  the  besieged  and  besieging  forces,  he  displayed  sur- 
prising skill  in  the  frequent  sham-fights  which  occurred 
before  the  white  walls  of  the  bastions,  while  the  brief 
winter  campaign  continued. 

Napoleon  seriously  scarred  a  comrade's  forehead,  and 
amply  repaid  him  in  after  life,  when  royal  gifts  were  at 
his  disposal. 

His  vacations  were  spent  on    his  native  island ;  and 


6  LIFE  OP  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

often  in  company  with  the  brave  and  restless  Paoli,  ha 
Nvas  urged  by  him  to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  tlie  patriots. 
The  compliment  the  Italian  gave  Napoleon,  alluding  to 
his  familiar  study  of  Plutarch's  Lives,  was  designed  to 
win  the  youthful  cadet  to  his  banner.  He  said  to  him 
with  enthusiasm,  "  Oh,  Napoleon  !  you  do  not  at  all 
resemble  the  moderns.  You  belong  to  the  heroes  of 
Plutarch." 

With  some  allowance  made  for  the  romantic  coloring 
and  interest  thrown  over  the  youth  of  transcendent 
genius,  it  is  still  apparent  that  Napoleon  made  an  un- 
usually deep  impression  on  all  who  knew  him.  With  a 
frail  form,  a  large  head,  a  clear,  penetrating  eye,  and 
rare  powers  of  conversation,  he  gave  sure  token  of  pre- 
eminence among  men.  In  his  fifteenth  year,  he  became 
one  of  the  three  students  selected  annually  from  the 
cadets,  for  promotion  to  the  Eoyal  Military  School  in 
the  splendid  capital  of  France.  The  following  note 
from  the  papers  of  the  War  Department,  shows  the 
rank  and  prospects  of  the  Corsican  npon  his  entrance 
into  the  Parisian  Academy  : 

"  State  of  the  king's  scholars  eligible  to  enter  into 
service,  or  to  pass  to  the  school  at  Paris  :  Monsieur  de 
Bonaparte  (Napoleon),  born  15th  August,  1769 ;  in 
height  five  feet  six  and  a  half  inches  ;  has  finished  his 
fourth  season ;  of  a  good  constitution,  health  excellent, 
character  mild,  honest,  and  grateful ;  conduct  exem- 
plary ;  has  always  distinguished  himself  by  application 
to  mathematics,  understands  history  and  geography 
tolerably  well ;  is  indifferently  skilled  in  merely  orna- 
mental studies,  and  in  Latin,  in  whicli  he  has  only 
finished  his  fourth  course  ;  would  make  an  excellent 
sailor  ;  deserves  to  be  passed  to  the  school  at  Paris.'^ 

In  his  new  and  aristocratic  halls.  Napoleon  kept  his 
object  steadily  in  view.     Turning  with  contempt  from 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  7 

tlie  means  of  present  display  and  indulgence,  like  all 
great  men  whose  eye  has  been  on  an  eminence  in  tlio 
future,  unseen  by  common  minds,  he  studied,  thought, 
and  dreamed  alone  of  a  brilliant  and  undisputed  success 
in  the  profession  of  arms.  Though  imbued  with  re- 
publican sentiments  which  notunfrequently  gave  offense 
to  the  loyal  subjects  of  the  monarch,  and  possessed  of 
manly  and  generous  traits  of  character,  yet  was  he  a  de- 
votee most  ardent  of  Mars,  the  deity  of  his  panting  am- 
bition. Through  all  the  history  of  his  youth,  we  do 
not  discover  any  indications  of  religious  feeling,  or 
sense  of  moral  obligation.  The  spirit  of  the  age,  which 
was  military  glory,  regardless  of  the  sacrifice  of  human 
life  in  its  attainment,  fired  the  unfolding  genius  of 
Napoleon.  He  was  not  cruel  and  heartless  ;  but  the 
grandeur  of  extended  conquest,  and  the  jDrosperity  of 
France,  filled  his  mind  with  gorgeous  visions  of  his  san- 
guinary career.  He  displayed  his  fraternal  regard  in 
the  attention  he  now  gave  to  the  education  of  his  brother 
Louis,  who  in  his  "  Eeponse  a  Sir  AY  alter  Scott,"  refers 
to  it  with  great  affection.  Up  to  this  time,  he  nourished 
a  dislike  of  the  French.  The  gradual  transfer  of  his 
interests  from  Corsica  to  the  land  of  his  adoption,  was 
doubtless  effected  by  the  power  of  new  associations,  the 
hopeless  struggles  of  his  isolated  people,  and  the  mag- 
nificent field  opening  before  him  in  the  unquiet  realm 
of  Louis  XVI.,  where  j^rinciples  in  harmony  with  his 
own  political  bias,  were  to  be  the  mighty  forces  of  civil 
commotion. 

In  Seistember,  1785,  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age. 
Napoleon  appeared  before  the  board  of  examination,  on 
trial  for  his  first  appointment  in  the  royal  army.  In 
mathematics,  the  distinguished  astronomer.  La  Place, 
was  the  intellectual  inquisitor  of  the  anxious  cadets. 
Bonaparte  sustained  himself   with  honor,  and  so  fa 


8  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

miliar  was  he  with  the  pages  of  history,  that  Keruglion, 
who  conducted  the  examination  in  this  depurtment, 
made  the  following  significant  and  prophetic  memo- 
randum opposite  his  name :  "  A  Corsican  by  character 
and  by  birth  ;  this  young  man  Avill  distinguish  himself 
in  the  world,  if  favored  by  fortune." 

He  immediately  received  the  commission  to  lieutenant 
in  the  regiment  of  artillery  Le  Fere,  and  no  subsequent 
promotion  thrilled  his  whole  being  with  more  intense 
delight  than  this  signal  of  his  future  destiny. 

Soon  after,  he  became  interested  in  his  second  romance 
of  love,  giving  evidence  of  a  nature  attractively  sus- 
ceptible to  the  charms  of  female  society,  and  the  fas- 
cination of  beautiful  women.  He  frequented,  among 
other  cultivated  families,  the  house  of  Madame  du 
Colombier,  whose  daughter  threw  over  his  restless  heart 
the  spell  of  a  strong,  though  transitory  attachment. 
AVhen  in  after  life  he  alluded  to  it,  he  remarks,  '•  We 
were  the  most  innocent  creatures  imaginable.  We 
contrived  short  interviews  together.  I  well  remem- 
ber one  which  took  place  on  a  midsummer's  morn- 
ing, just  as  the  light  began  to  dawn.  It  will  scarcely 
be  credited  that  all  our  felicity  consisted  in  eating 
cherries  together."  Napoleon's  post  was  at  this  time 
at  Valence,  from  which  his  regiment  was  removed  to 
Lyons.  Embarrassed  for  want  of  means  to  support  the 
rank  of  even  a  subordinate  officer,  he  was  taken  sick, 
and  found,  as  ever,  in  the  favor  his  impressive  presence 
won  from  woman,  the  most  generous  attention  in  the 
care  of  a  German  lady,  who  was  not  forgotten  when  he 
commanded  the  resources  of  a  kingdom.  He  entered 
the  lists  as  competitor  for  a  prize  offered  for  the  best 
essay  upon ''the  institutions  most  likely  to  contribute 
to  human  happiness,"  and  received  the  award. 

An  Italian  gentleman  gives  an  entertaining  account 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  9 

of  Napoleon,  iu  a  splendid  evening  party  at  M.  Neckar's. 
The  Bastile  had  fallen,  and  the  murmurs  of  an  excited 
populace  rose  with  ominous  distinctness  around  the 
throne  of  the  king — the  first  undertone  of  that  revolu- 
tionary earthquake,  soon  to  overthrow  the  entire  order 
of  things,  and  startle  the  world.  Alfieri,  Lafayette, 
Mirabeau,  La  Grange,  and  other  distinguished  French- 
men, were  in  the  brilliant  saloon.  Madame  de  Stael 
and  Josephine  adorned  the  intellectual  assemblage. 
Xapoleon,  who  was  introduced  by  Abbe  Eaynal,  at- 
tracted attention  by  his  extraordinary  conversational 
powers. 

Allusion  was  made  to  the  refusal  of  the  soldiers  to  fire 
upon  the  lawless  multitude,  when  he  replied  in  language 
which  is  entirely  characteristic,  and  descriptive  of  his 
subsequent  plan  of  action  :  "  Excuse  me,  my  lord,  if  I 
venture  to  interrupt  you  ;  but  as  I  am  an  officer,  I 
must  claim  the  privilege  of  expressing  my  sentiments. 
It  is  true  that  I  am  very  young,  and  it  may  ajopear  pre- 
sumptuous in  me  to  address  so  many  distinguished  men; 
but  during  the  last  three  years  I  have  paid  intense  at- 
tention to  our  political  troubles.  I  see  with  sorrow  the 
state  of  our  country,  and  I  will  incur  censure  rather 
than  pass  unnoticed  principles  which  are  not  only  un- 
sound, but  which  are  subversive  of  all  government.  As 
much  9.2  any  one  I  desire  to  see  all  abuses,  antiquated  priv- 
ileges, and  usurped  rights  annulled.  Kay  !  as  I  am  at 
the  commencement  of  my  career,  it  will  be  my  best 
policy  as  well  as  my  duty,  to  support  the  progress  of 
popular  institutions,  and  to  promote  reform  in  every 
branch  of  the  public  administration.  But  as  iu  the 
last  twelve  months  I  have  witnessed  repeated  alarming 
popular  disturbances,  and  have  seen  our  best  men 
divided  into  factions,  which  threaten  to  be  irreconcil- 
able,  I  sincerely  believe  that  now,  more  than,  ever,  a 


10  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

a  trie  t  discipline  in  the  army  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  safety  of  onr  constitutional  government,  iind  for 
the  maintenance  of  order.  Nay  !  if  our  troops  are  not 
compelled  unhesitatingly  to  obey  the  commands  of  the 
executive,  we  shall  be  exposed  to  the  blind  fury  of 
democratic  passions,  which  will  render  France  the  most 
miserable  country  on  the  globe.  The  ministry  may  bo 
assured  that,  if  the  daily  increasing  arrogance  of  the 
Parisian  mob  is  not  repressed  by  a  strong  arm,  and 
social  order  rigidly  maintained,  we  shall  see  not  only 
this  cajDital,  but  every  other  city  in  France,  thrown  into 
a  state  of  indescribable  anarchy,  Avhile  the  real  friends 
of  liberty,  the  enlightened  patriots,  now  working  for 
the  best  good  of  onr  country,  will  sink  beneatli  a  set  of 
demagogues,  who  with  louder  outcries  for  freedom  on 
their  tongues,  will  be,  in  reality,  but  a  horde  of  sav- 
ages, worse  than  the  Neros  of  old." 

His  next  elevation  in  military  rank  was  the  first 
lieutenancy,  conferred  upon  him  the  same  year. 

He  was  in  Paris  the  20th  of  June,  1793,  when  the  mob 
went  surging  through  the  streets,  toward  the  Tuilleries  ; 
and  he  hastened  to  the  scene  of  action.  He  saw  it  all : 
the  royal  garden  thronged  with  exasperated  men  bran- 
dishing their  various  weapons,  and  the  trembling  mon- 
arch in  the  balcony  of  his  palace  wearing  the  Jacobin's 
red  cap. 

His  indignation  was  kindled  toward  the  masses  gov- 
erned by  passion,  and  blindly  bent  on  regicide,  and  his 
scornful  pity  awakened  in  behalf  of  the  yielding  mon- 
arch, unequal  to  the  nation's  crisis.  Turning  to  Bour- 
rienne,  with  whom  he  was  walking,  he  exclaimed, 
'MVhat  madness  !  he  should  have  blown  four  or  five 
hundred  of  them  into  the  air,  and  the  rest  would  have 
taken  to  their  heels."  His  conscious  power  found  ex- 
pression in  a  letter  to  the  king,  offering  to  save  his 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE  H' 

reeling  throne,  and  command  the  troops  which  should 
quiet  the  insurgents.  But  no  reply  was  made  to  the 
unknown  writer.  Seven  months  later,  the  monarch's 
head  rolled  upon  the  guillotine  in  front  of  his  palace, 
amid  the  roll  of  drums,  and  the  frantic  cry  of  myriads, 
"  Vive  la  Republique  I  "  There  is  the  liability  among 
the  common  people  to  imjDulsive,  fruitless,  and  even 
disastrous  outbreaks  of  feeling,  just  in  proportion  as 
there  is  a  want  of  intellectual  culture  combined  with  a 
fixed  and  lively  sense  of  moral  obligation.  Enthusiasm 
is  a  natural  element  of  the  soul,  and  healthful,  if  there 
be  these  guiding  elements  of  power.  x\nd  there  is  no 
evidence  that  an  excitement,  which  rocks  a  nation,  is 
injurious,  unless  it  appear  without  the  vitality  of  truth 
and  uncontrolled  by  the  mandate  of  reason,  and  the 
acknowledged  principles  of  religious  responsibility. 
The  American  Revolution  was  a  sublime  illustration  of 
this  law  of  mind,  and  Washington  the  individual  rep- 
resentative of  the  balance  of  powers — the  mental  and 
moral  harmony — which  is  so  rare  among  even  great  men. 
His  entire  being  obeyed  the  established  laws  designed 
to  govern  it,  with  the  beautiful  uniformity  Avith 
which  the  tides  ebb  and  flow,  under  the  attractive  force 
of  the  moon.  His  patriotic  fervor  and  sleepless  energies 
from  his  boyhood,  were  always  within  the  confines  of 
sober  reason,  and  enlightened  conscience.  TheFrent'h 
revolutionists  were  fatally  deficient  in  both  the  safe- 
guards of  a  popular  movement ;  and  Bonaparte,  intel- 
lectually vastly  superior  to  Washington,  with  a  majestic 
self-reliance,  by  early  education  and  national  character 
Avas  made  of  different  mold.  In  the  one,  self 
merged  in  the  highest  good  of  the  people  ;  in  the  other, 
self  maintained  its  supremacy  through  all  the  noblest 
plans  and  fiercest  battles  for  France. 

At  this  awakening  period,  he  regarded  the  populace 


12  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

as  of  little  worth,  unfit  for  freedom,  and  himself  as  the 
stern  disciplinarian,  who  could  teach  them  subjection, 
and  gathering  into  his  hands  the  reins  of  authority, 
cover  the  flag  of  his  country,  and  his  own  ample  brow 
with  glory. 

He  revisited  Corsica.  General  Paoli,  whose  residence, 
since  the  last  ineffectual  struggle  of  the  island  for  free- 
dom, had  been  in  England,  was  reanimated  with  hope 
when  the  wheels  of  revolution  began  to  roll ;  and 
after  a  flattering  welcome  in  Paris,  was  appointed  the 
governor  of  his  people.  He  soon  discovered  the  rapid 
development  of  licentious  liberty  and  lawlessness  in 
France,  and  declared  his  aversion  to  the  demoniac 
spirit  and  principles  of  the  Jacobins.  He  came  under 
the  a'  athema  of  the  National  Assembly,  and  a  detach- 
ment of  troops  under  the  command  of  La  Combe, 
Micbel,  and  Salicetti,  sailed  for  Corsica,  to  remove 
him  from  office.  Napoleon,  who  had  been  on  furlough 
for  several  months  under  the  maternal  roof,  was 
quie-ly  enjoying  his  attic,  which  he  had  furnished  for 
solidary  study,  when  the  landing  of  the  invading  force 
startled  the  island  from  the  repose  of  Paoli's  peaceful 
reign  to  the  wild  commotion  of  civil  war.  He  refused 
the  Italian's  repeated  and  complimentary  proposals  to 
join  his  standard  and  strike  for  independence,  and 
offered  his  aid  to  Salicetti. 

But  his  unreserved  hatred  of  the  Jacobin  excesses 
Bxposed  him  to  the  suspicion  and  disliiie  of  that  officer, 
who  seems  to  have  been  of  the  Machiavellian  school, 
and  Najioleon  was  arrested,  taken  to  Paris,  and  tri- 
umphantly acquitted.  Meanwhile,  instigated  by  the 
venerable  chief  Paoli,  tlie  people  declared  against  the 
sanguinary  republic.  Ajaccio  was  the  only  town  that 
had  refused,  at  the  command  of  Paoli,  to  lower  the  tri- 
color.    Paoli  and  his  followers,  in  1793,  marched   on 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  13 

Ajaccio  ;  the  three  Bonaparte  brothers  were  absent  at 
this  critical  time;  but  the  heroic  Letitia  was  fully 
equal  to  the  task  of  providing  for  the  safety  of  herself 
and  children.  She  despatched  messengers  to  Joseph 
and  Napoleon  by  sea  and  land  ;  and  gave  notice  that 
they  would  soon  arrive  in  the  port  with  the  represent- 
atives of  the  people.  She  thus  succeeded  in  paralyz- 
ing the  partisans  of  Paoli  in  the  town. 

While  waiting  for  the  French  fleet,  Signora  Letitia 
was  on  the  point  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  her  ene- 
mies. Eoused  suddenly  at  midnight,  she  found  her 
chamber  filled  with  armed  mountaineers.  She  at  first 
thought  herself  surprised  by  the  partisans  of  Paoli  ; 
but  by  the  light  of  a  torch  she  saw  the  countenance 
of  the  chief,  and  felt  reassured.  It  was  Costa  of  Bas- 
telica,  the  most  devoted  of  the  partisans  of  France. 
"Quick,  make  haste,  Signora  Letitia,"  he  exclaimed; 
"  Paoli's  men  are  close  on  us.  There  is  not  a  moment 
to  lose ;  but  I  am  here  with  my  men.  We  Avill  serve 
you  or  perish." 

Bastelica,  one  of  the  most  populous  villages  of 
Corsica,  lies  at  the  foot  of  Monte  d'Oro.  Its  inhabit- 
ants are  renowned  for  their  courage  and  loyalty.  One 
of  the  villagers  had  encountered  a  numerous  body  of 
the  followers  of  Paoli  descending  on  Ajaccio.  He 
had  learned  that  this  troop  had  orders  to  take  all  the 
Bonaparte  family,  dead  or  alive.  He  returned  to  the 
village  and  roused  their  friends,  who  to  the  number 
of  three  hundred,  armed,  and  preceded  their  enemies 
by  a  forced  march  to  Ajaccio.  Signora  Letitia  and 
her  children  rose  from  their  beds,  and  in  the  center  of 
the  column  left  the  town  in  silence,  the  inhabitants 
being  still  asleep.  They  penetrated  the  deepest  recesses 
of  the  mountains,  and  at  daybreak  halted  in  a  forest 
in  sight  of  the  sea.     Several  times  the  fugitives  heard, 


14  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

from  their  eucampment,  the  troops  of  the  enemy  in  the 
neighboring  valley,  but  they  escaped  the  risk  of  an 
encounter.  The  same  day  the  flames  rising  in  dense 
columns  from  the  town,  attracted  attention.  ''That 
is  your  house  now  burning,"  said  one  of  her  friends  to 
Letitia.  "Ah!  never  mind,"  she  replied,  "we  will 
build  it  up  again  much  better.  Vive  la  Fiance  !  "  After 
two  nights'  march,  the  fugitives  descrieU  a  French 
frigate.  Letitia  took  leave  of  her  brave  defenders,  and 
joined  Joseph  and  Na2)olcon,  who  were  on  board  the 
vessel  at  Calvi  with  the  French  deputies  who  had  been 
sent  on  a  mission  to  Corsica.  The  frigate  turned  her 
prow  toward  Marseilles,  where  she  landed  the  family 
of  exiles,  destitute  of  resources,  but  in  health  and  full 
of  courage. 

The  Eevolntion  was  now  "glutting  the  public  with 
seas  of  blood."  The  murder  of  the  king  had  aroused 
the  monarchs  of  Europe  in  defense  of  royal  honor,  and 
united  them  in  the  common  cause  of  hostility  to  the 
Republican  movement.  In  France  herself,  there  had 
come  a  reaction,  and  Marseilles  led  in  the  rebellion 
against  the  Jacobins  ;  Lyons  and  other  cities  followed. 
At  Toulon,  whose  citizens  for  the  most  part  sympa- 
thized with  the  monarchists,  were  gathered  many 
thousands  of  fugitives  to  find  protection  in  the  strong- 
hold of  disaffection,  under  the  expected  shadow  of  the 
British  and  Spanish  fleets,  riding  outside  of  the  har- 
bor. The  invitation  to  garrison  the  city  was  imme- 
diately accepted,  and  the  twenty-five  ships  of  the  line 
with  nearly  as  many  frigates,  entered  the  bay,  and  pre- 
pared, with  the  munitions  of  war  on  board,  to  fortify 
the  town.  This  was  no  timid  show  of  opposition  to 
tlie  leaders  of  the  Revolution,  and  startled  amid  the 
madness  of  epidemic  terror  and  conflicting  passions, 
they  sent  forward  two   armies,  to   besiege  and   capture 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  15 

Toulon.  Cartaux,  a  self-conceited  officer,  who  ex- 
changed the  painter's  easel  for  the  sword,  commanded 
the  expedition. 

Accompanying  the  regular  force,  were  prominent 
men,  among  whom  was  the  younger  Robes2:iicrre,  sent 
out  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  army  and  rci)ort  to 
the  central  government. 

These  representatives  of  tlic  people  only  embarrassed 
the  inefficient  commander,  and  after  protracted  delay 
and  repeated  disasters,  which  consumed  three  months, 
Napoleon,  with  the  commission  to  assume  the  com- 
mand of  the  artillery,  arrived  on  the  field  of  action, 
AVhether  any  other  influence  than  his  general  character 
as  cadet,  and  brief  experience  in  the  regiment  Le  Fere, 
had  set  aside  objection  on  the  ground  of  his  youth,  and 
secured  the  promotion,  is  unknown.  He  saw  at  a  glance 
the  causes  of  failure.  The  batteries  were  too  remote 
for  more  than  a  partial  effect,  and  the  whole  numeuver- 
ing  without  precision,  and  concentration  of  force  upon 
the  undisturbed  ranks  of  the  enemy.  The  allies  had 
strengthened  the  fortress  called  Little  Gibraltar,  the 
main  defense  of  the  harbor  and  town.  It  received  the 
name  from  its  sujDposed  impregnability.  Cartaux 
looked  with  jealous  contempt  upon  the  Corsican,  and 
shining  in  the  profusion  of  official  decorations,  gave 
him  to  understand  that  he  was  not  needed,  but  might 
share  in  the  glory  of  the  enterprise.  The  vain  chief 
was  superseded  by  Doppet,  a  plmician,  and  greater 
coward  than  himself.  Xext  came  General  Dugommier, 
a  man  of  energy  and  intelligence,  who  entered  at  once 
into  Napoleon's  comprehensive  and  decisive  plans. 
Subordinate  officers  were  chosen  by  Bonaparte,  and  his 
train,  of  two  hundred  guns,  prepared  for  assault.  His 
design  was  simple  and  perfect  in  outline.  To  the  inter- 
ference of  the  deputies,  on  espionage,  who  suggested 


16  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

an  improvement,  he  replied,  '"'  Do  you  attend  to  your 
duty  as  National  Commissioners,  and  I  will  answer  for 
mine  with  my  head."  His  eye  was  on  Little  Gibraltar, 
the  possession  of  whose  promontory,  he  assured  the 
general-in-chief,  would  give  them  the  sweeping  fire  of 
the  harbor,  and  compel  the  naval  force  to  retire.  A 
few  weeks  earlier  the  stronghold  would  have  been  taken 
Avith  easy  conquest.  But  now  it  frowned  upon  them 
Avith  solid  walls,  and  lines  of  silent  cannon,  behind 
which  were  brave  men  from  the  invading  armies,  con- 
fident of  victory.  At  one  extremity  of  the  town  was 
the  small  fort .  Malbosquet,  in  a  plantation  of  olives, 
behind  which  Bonaparte,  unobserved  by  the  enemy, 
erected  a  battery,  from  which  he  determined  to  open  a 
fire,  to  divert  attention  from  the  grand  assault.  With 
sleepless  energy,  snatching  a  short  repose  at  night, 
wrapped  in  his  cloak  beside  his  guns,  he  multijDlied 
batteries  toward  the  fortress.  One  day  during  the  prog- 
ress of  the  siege,  the  deputies  performing  their  accus- 
tomed survey  of  the  works,  discovered  the  battery  near 
Malbosquet,  and  when  told  it  had  been  ready  for  action 
eight  days,  ordered  an  immediate  cannonade.  It  had 
not  entered  their  minds,  that  a  prospective  and  not  a 
present  use  was  the  reason  for  inactioii.  The  English 
made  an  effective  onset,  and  spiked  the  guns.  Napo- 
leon hastened  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  "  On  his  arrival 
on  the  eminence  behind,  he  perceived  a  long,  deep 
ditch,  fringed  with  brambles  and  willows,  whicli  he 
thought  might  be  turned  to  advantage.  He  caused  a 
regiment  of  foot  to  creep  along  the  ditch,  which  they 
did  without  being  discovered,  until  they  were  close 
upon  the  enemy.  General  O'Hara,  the  English  com- 
mander, mistook  them  when  they  appeared  for  some 
of  his  own  allies,  and  rushing  out  to  give  tliem  some 
orders,  was  wounded  and  made  prisoner.     Tiie  English 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  17 

were  dispirited  when  they  lost  their  general ;  they  re- 
treated ;  and  the  French  were  at  liberty  to  set  about  the 
repair  of  their  battery.  In  this  affair  much  blood  was 
shed.  Napoleon  himself  received  a  bayonet-thrust  in 
the  thigh,  and  fell  into  the  arms  of  Mniron,  who  carried 
him  off  the  field.  Such  was  the  commencement  of  their 
brotherly  friendship." 

It  was  after  this  slaughter  that  Napoleon  is  said  to 
have  remarked  to  Louis,  his  brother,  who  visited  him 
in  camp,  "  All  these  men  have  been  needlessly  sacrificed. 
Had  intelligence  commanded  here,  none  of  these  lives 
need  have  been  lost.  Learn  from  this  how  indispensable 
it  is  that  those  should  possess  knowledge  who  aspire  to 
assume  command  over  others."  While  constructing  a 
battery  under  the  fire  of  the  allies,  he  had  a  despatch 
to  prepare,  and  called  for  a  soldier  who  could  write. 
A  youthful  sergeant  sprang  out  of  the  ranks  and  leaning 
n|)on  the  breast-works,  wrote  at  the  dictation  of  Napo- 
leon. As  he  made  the  last  stroke  of  the  pen,  a  ball 
struck  the  ground  so  near,  the  dust  fell  in  a  cloud  upon 
him  and  the  paper.  With  a  laugh,  he  exclaimed, 
"Good,  this  time  we  shall  do  without  sand."  This 
pleasantry  indicating  the  greatest  coolness  and  self-com- 
mand arrested  the  attention  of  Napoleon.  The  amanu- 
ensis was  Junot,  soon  afterward  promoted  to  command, 
and  subsequently  I>uke  of  Abrantes  ;  and  who  profanely 
said,  "  I  love  Napoleon  as  my  God.  To  him  I  am  in- 
debted for  all  that  I  am." 

At  another  time  a  cavalcade  of  carriages  arrived  at 
Toulon,  bringing  more  than  fifty  men,  dressed  in 
flaunting  uniform,  who  desired  an  interview  with  the 
general.  When  admitted  to  his  presence,  one  of  the 
company  presented  this  address  :  "  Citizen-general,  we 
come  from  Paris.  The  patriots  are  indignant  at  your 
inactivity  and  delay.     The  soil  of  the  republic  has  been 


18  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

violated.  She  trembles  to  think  that  the  insnlt  is  still 
unavenged.  Slie  asks  why  is  Toulon  not  taken  ?  Why 
is  the  English  fleet  not  yet  destroyed  ?  In  her  indig- 
nation she  lias  appealed  to  her  brave  sons.  We  have 
obeyed  her  summons,  and  burn  with  imj^atience  to  ful- 
fil her  expectations.  AYe  are  volunteer  gunners  from 
Paris.  Furnish  us  with  arms.  To-morrow  we  will 
march  against  the  enemy." 

Napoleon  aside,  said  to  Dugommier,  '''  Turn  those 
gentlemen  over  to  me,  I  will  take  care  of  thein  ! " 

He  gave  them  the  control  of  a  park  of  artillery  near 
the  sea-shore,  and  bade  them  sink  an  English  frigate 
whose  swarming  decks  lay  within  range  of  the  guns. 
Suddenly  a  broadside  came  like  a  hail-storm  about  their 
heads.  The  recruits  fled,  and  trouble  Avitli  them  was 
over. 

Then  came  the  decisive  day  ;  the  10th  of  December, 
1793,  when  the  general  assault  was  ordered  ;  and  the 
terrific  conflict  opened.  Najioleon,  in  accordance  with 
his  original  tactics,  poured  a  storm  of  shells  on  different 
23oints  of  the  fortress,  to  confuse  the  enemy,  while 
they  fell  incessantly  also  upon  the  devoted  city.  In  an 
astonishingly  brief  time,  eight  thousand  bombshells 
had  exploded  in  the  enemy's  works,  and  laid  them  in 
a  heap  of  ruins.  The  soldiers  rushed  throngh  the 
storm  of  rain  and  fire  into  the  embrasures,  and  cut 
down  the  garrison  with  the  sword.  The  streets  of 
Toulon  ran  blood,  when  the  tricolor  waved  on  the 
shattered  ramparts,  and  Napoleon  said  to  General 
Dugommier,  "  Go  and  sleep.  We  have  taken  Toulon." 
It  was  taken,  but  with  carnage,  through  which  the 
name  of  Bonaparte  rose  toward  the  zenith  of  that  glory 
wliich  flooded  a  hundred  battle-fields,  of  Avhich  Toulon 
was  the  sanguinary  sample. 

The  blow  was  struck  which  decided  the  conflict ;  but 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  19 

conflagratioa  and  slaughter  continned.  Lord  Howe, 
tlie  English  commander,  saw  that  the  city  must  follow 
tlie  surrender  of  the  fortress,  and  prepared  to  abandon 
it  to  the  foe.  When  the  inhabitants  beheld  the  lonsr 
l)rocessions  of  the  sick  and  wounded  moving  toward 
the  shii:)s,  they  knew  their  doom  was  sealed.  The 
Vessels  which  could  not  be  employed  with  safety,  were 
collected  and  a  fire-ship  sent  among  them.  Beneath 
the  lurid  flames  of  their  burning,  the  explosion  of  shells 
and  magazines,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  dying,  Avhose 
homes  were  pierced  by  the  ceaseless  cannonade,  twenty 
thousand  of  the  royalists  gathered  on  the  shore  implor- 
ing deliverance  from  the  exasperated  enemy. 

The  fleet  at  length  moved  out  of  harbor,  and  the 
Eepublicans  rushed  into  Toulon.  A  double  vengeance 
burned  in  their  bosoms  ;  rage  because  of  the  rebellion 
against  Jacobin  reign,  and  revenge  for  having  invited 
a  foreign  alliance  to  strengthen  and  shield  their  revolt. 
A  hundred  and  fifty  poor  working  men  were  summoned 
together  under  the  impression  that  they  were  to  be 
employed  in  repairing  the  demolished  forts,  when  a 
volley  of  musketry  cut  them  down.  A  wealthy  old 
merchant  was  executed  to  obtain  his  millions.  For 
these  excesses,  neither  Dugommier  nor  Kapoleon  was 
responsible.  Their  authority  was  in  vain,  while  the 
madness  of  vengeance  and  lust  ruled  the  hour.  By 
this  victory  insurrection  was  quelled,  and  the  control 
of  the  army  secured. 

Bonaparte,  whose  agency  in  the  achievement  was 
concealed  as  far  as  possible  by  the  jealous  representa- 
tives of  the  people,  made  an  impression  that  reached 
the  government ;  and  he  was  appointed  to  survey  and 
put  in  order  of  defense  the  entire  coast  of  France, 
lying  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  With  characteristic 
energy  he  accomplished  in  a  few  weeks  his  responsible 


2G  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  extensive  work,  and  immediately  joined  the  army 
at  Nice,  with  an  additional  promotion  to  the  post  of 
chief  of  battalion.  He  infused  his  enthusiasm  and 
self-reliance  into  the  army  of  Italy,  and  soon  General 
Dumerbion  with  Massena  and  Xapoleon  was  leading 
the  troops  to  conquest. 

Possession  of  tlie  maritime  Alps  was  gained,  and  the 
way  prepared  for  advancing  into  Italy.  Still  was  the 
genius  of  Napoleon  kept  in  comparative  obscurity  by 
the  silence  of  his  superior  officers,  who  assumed  the 
honors  of  victory.  He  was  superseded  in  command, 
and  soon  after,  July  28,  1794,  arrested  upon  the  charge 
of  interest  in  measures  hostile  to  the  policy  of  the 
dominant  party,  which  hud  taken  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment from  the  bloody  hands  of  that  2)rince  of  homi- 
cides, Eobespierre. 

Albitti  and  Salicetti,  who  succeeded  the  terrorists 
as  representatives  of  the  people,  influenced  by  the  mis- 
representations of  his  enemies,  or  jealous  of  the  young 
Corsican,  whose  rapid  advancement  astonished  them, 
ordered  the  arrest.  Had  it  occurred  a  few  weeks 
earlier,  it  would  doubtless  have  added  him  to  the 
myriads  despatched  by  the  guillotine.  He  made  his 
statement,  affirming  his  innocence,  and  was  immediately 
released  from  confinement.  Tlio  officer  who  opened 
his  prison  door,  found  him  intensely  engaged  with  the 
map  of  Lombardy,  evidently  conscious  of  work  yet  to 
do  on  the  pictured  plains,  whence  came  to  his  fancy's 
car  the  tramp  of  moving  battalions.  The  prejudice 
attending  this  unjust  incarceration,  was  manifest  in  the 
attempt  to  change  his  rank  in  the  army  ;  and  he  in- 
dignantly resigned  his  position,  and  returned  to  tlie 
family  residence  in  Marseilles.  The  resources  of  the 
Bonapartes  were  small,  and  destitution  cast  its  shadows 
about  their  home.     But  while  there,  he  again  fell  in 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  21 

love.  Eugenie  Desiree  Clery,  an  attractive  and  ac- 
complished yonng  lady,  a  mercliaut's  daughter,  became 
the  object  of  reciprocated  affection.  But  circumstances 
did  not  i^ermit  him  to  marry,  and  the  affair  was  broken 
off.  She  subsequently  became  the  wife  of  Bernadotte, 
and  was  the  queen  of  Sweden  ;  her  sister  married 
Joseph,  the  brother  of  Napoleon. 

The  youthful  soldier  seems  to  have  been  honorable 
in  all  matters  of  friendship,  and  without  the  vices  of 
the  times.  He  had  raised  his  aspirations  above  the 
effeminate  pleasures  of  sensual  indulgence,  and  the 
destructive  vortex  of  atheistical  debauchery. 

After  a  brief  enjoyment  of  his  attachment,  he  turned 
away  from  the  seclusion  of  his  destitute  dwelling,  and 
went  to  Paris  to  seek  employment.  Referring  to  these 
months  of  inactivity,  in  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he 
gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  darkness  which  eclipsed  the 
rising  sun  of  his  glory,  and  well-nigh  quenched  its 
light: 

''I  was  at  this  period,  on  one  occasion,  suffering 
from  that  extreme  depression  of  spirit  which  suspends 
the  faculties  of  the  brain,  and  renders  life  a  burden 
too  heavy  to  be  borne.  I  had  just  received  a  letter 
from  my  mother  revealing  to  me  the  utter  destitution 
into  which  she  was  plunged.  She  had  been  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  the  war  with  which  Corsica  was 
desolated,  and  was  then  at  Marseilles,  with  no  means 
of  subsistence,  and  having  naught  but  her  heroic 
virtues  to  defend  the  honor  of  her  daughters  against 
the  misery  and  corruption  of  all  kinds  existing  in  the 
manners  of  the  epoch  of  social  chaos.  I  also,  deprived 
of  my  salary,  and  v/ith  exhausted  resources,  had  but 
one  single  dollar  in  my  pocket.  Urged  by  animal  in- 
stinct to  escape  from  prospects  so  gloomy,  and  from 
sorrows  so  unendurable,  I   wandered  along  the  bankft 


22  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

of  the  river,  feeling  that  it  was  unmanly  to  commit 
snicide,  and  yet  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  to  do 
so.  In  a  few  more  moments  I  should  have  thrown 
myself  into  the  water,  when  I  ran  against  an  individual 
dressed  like  a  simple  mechanic,  who,  recognizing 
me,  threw  himself  upon  my  neck,  and  cried,  'Is  it 
you.  Napoleon  ?  How  glad  I  am  to  see  you  again.' 
It  was  Demasis,  an  old  friend  and  former  comrade  of 
mine  in  the  artillery  regiment.  He  had  emigrated, 
and  afterward  had  returned  to  France  in  disguise,  to 
see  his  aged  mother.  He  was  about  to  leave  me,  when 
stopping,  he  exclaimed,  *  But  what  is  the  matter,  Na- 
poleon ?  You  do  not  listen  to  me  !  You  do  not  seem 
glad  to  see  me.  What  misfortune  threatens  you  ? 
You  look  to  me  like  a  madman  about  to  kill  himself. 
This  direct  appeal  to  the  feelings  which  had  seized 
upon  me  produced  such  an  effect  upon  my  mind,  that 
without  hesitation  I  revealed  to  him  everything.  *Is 
that  all  ?  "  said  he,  unbuttoning  his  coarse  waistcoat 
and  detaching  a  belt  which  he  placed  in  my  hands. 
'  Here  are  six  thousand  dollars  in  gold,  which  I  can 
spare  without  any  inconvenience.  Take  them  and 
relieve  your  mother.'  I  cannot  to  this  day  explain 
how  I  could  have  been  willing  to  receive  the  money, 
but  I  seized  the  gold  as  by  a  convulsive  movement, 
and  I  ran  to  send  it  to  my  distressed  mother/ 

The  deed  was  scarcely  done  before  Napoleon  rej)ented, 
and  tried  to  find  the  generous  Demasis,  but  in  vain. 
He  was  afterward  repaid  with  a  royal  gift  of  sixty 
thousand  dollars,  and  an  office  worth  six  thousand 
more. 

Napoleon  was  disappointed  in  his  efforts  to  obtain 
honorable  activity.  When  Anbury,  the  president  of 
the  military  committee,  objected  to  his  youth,  when 
his  request  for  an  appointment  was  presented,  Na- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2?> 

poleou  re])lie(.l,  "  Presence  in  tlie  field  of  battle  might 
he  re(!kuiie(l  in  pluce  of  years."  The  flash  of  inde- 
pendence was  resented  as  an  insult,  and  increased  the 
diftlculties  between  him  and  his  desired  position  in  the 
ai-ni}'. 

A  few  of  his  letters  written  about  this  time,  will 
possess  great  interest,  because  they  are  the  confidential 
expressions  of  his  experience  and  plans. 

XAPOLEOX  TO   JOSEPH. 

Paris,  June  25,  1795. 

*'  I  will  execute  your  wife's  commissions  immediately. 
Desiree  asks  me  for  your  portrait ;  1  am  going  to 
have  it  painted  ;  you  will  give  it  to  her  if  she  still 
wishes  for  it;  if  not,  keep  it  for  j'ourself.  In  whatever 
circumstances  you  may  be  placed  by  fortune,  you 
know  well,  my  friend,  that  yon  cannot  have  a  better 
or  a  dearer  friend  than  myself,  or  one  who  wishes  more 
sincerely  for  your  happiness.  Life  is  a  flimsy  dream, 
soon  to  be  over.  If  you  are  going  away,  and  you 
think  that  it  may  be  for  some  time,  send  me  your 
portrait  ;  we  have  lived  together  for  so  many  years, 
so  closely  united,  that  our  hearts  have  become  one, 
and  you  know  best  how  entirely  mine  belongs  to  you. 
While  I  write  these  lines  I  feel  an  emotion  which  I 
have  seldom  experienced.  I  fear  it  will  be  long  before 
we  see  each  other  again,  and  I  can  write  no  more.'' 

We  have  here  evidences  of  deep  despondency,  and 
warm  affections  toward  his  family  friends.  In  the 
next  communication  quoted,  the  scene  is  changed. 

ifAPOLEON    TO    JOSEPH. 

July  25, 1795. 

"I  am  appointed  General  in  the  Army  of  the  West  ; 
but  uiy  illness  keeps  me  here.     I  expect  more   detailed 


24  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

accounts  from  you.  I  suppose  that  you  purposely  avoid 
telling  me  any  thing  of  Desiree  ;  I  do  not  know  whether 
she  is  still  alive. 

*'  All  goes  on  well  here.  In  the  south  alone  there 
has  been  a  little  disturbance,  got  up  by  the  young 
people  ;  it  is  mere  childish  folly. 

"  On  the  15th  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  is  to  be 
partially  renewed  ;  I  hope  that  they  will  choose  good 
people.  Reinforcements  are  being  sent  to  the  Army  of 
Italy  ;  would  you  like  me  to  go  there  ? 

"  Your  letters  are  very  dry  :  you  are  so  prudent  and 
laconic  that  you  tell  me  nothing.  When  will  you 
return  ?  I  do  not  think  that  your  affairs  need  keep 
you  away  beyond  the  month  of  Thermidor. 

*'It  is  not  certain  that  Lanjuinais'  motion  will  pass  ; 
it  is  possible  that  no  change  may  be  made  with  respect 
to  the  retrospective  effect.  It  would  be  committing 
the  same  fault  in  principle.  I  sent  to  you  at  the  time, 
Lanjuinais'  report.*  Good-by,  my  dear  friend  ;  health, 
gaiety,    happiness,  and  pleasure  to  you." 

Soon  after,  he  closed  a  letter  with  these  words  of 
lively  hope,  and  kindling  ambition  for  distinction  : 

''  Good-by,  my  dear  friend ;  be  cautious  as  to  the 
future,  and  satisfied  witli  the  present ;  be  gay,  and 
learn  to  amuse  yourself.  As  for  me  I  am  happy.  I 
only  want  to  find  myself  on  the  battle-field  ;  a  soldier 
must  either  win  laurels  or  perish  gloriously." 

Again  he  writes,  '^  Fesch  seems  to  wish  to  return  to 
Corsica  after  the  peace ;  he  is  always  the  same,  living 
in  the  future,  sending  me  letters  of  six  pages  about 

♦  The  motion  and  the  report  of  Lanjuinais  were  in  favor  of  tlie  repeal  of 
the  law  of  the  17th  Nivose,  which  applied  the  rule  of  equal  partition  to  all 
successions  which  had  occurred  since  the  1 1th  July,  1T80,  without  regard  to 
any  Intermediate  acts  or  settlements.  Lanjuinais  denounced  the  injus- 
tice  of  this  retrospective  legislation.  His  report  here  alluded  to  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Moniteur  of  the  7th  August,  1795. 


i 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2.") 

some  subtlety,  no  broader  thau  a  needle's  point  ;  the 
present  no  more  to  him  than  the  jjast,  the  future  is 
everything.  As  for  me,  little  attached  to  life,  con- 
templating it  without  much  solicitude,  constantly  in 
the  state  of  mind  in  which  one  is  on  the  day  before 
battle,  feeling  that,  while  death  is  always  amongst  us 
to  put  an  end  to  all,  anxiety  is  folly — everything  joins 
to  make  me  defy  fortune  and  fate  ;  in  time  I  shall  not 
get  out  of  the  way  when  a  carriage  comes.  I  sometimes 
wonder  at  my  own  state  of  mind.  It  is  the  result  of 
what  I  have  seen,  and  what  I  have  risked." 

Sadness  will  rest  upon  the  contemplative  reader,  in 
view  of  the  total  absence  of  religious  feeling  ;  that  fine 
sense  of  moral  responsibility,  which  subdues  within  the 
limits  of  pure  and  elevated  action,  the  loftiest  intellect, 
and  invests  the  life  and  the  death  of  the  humblest  in- 
dividual with  solemn  interest.  He  afterward  alludes 
to  the  expedition,  respecting  which  he  is  said  to  have 
remarked  jestingly  to  a  friend,  "  How  singular  it 
would  be  if  a  little  Corsican  officer  were  to  become 
king  of  Jerusalem." 

NAPOLEO^f   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  August  20, 1795. 

"  I  am  attached  for  the  present  to  the  topographical 
board  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  for  the  direc- 
tion of  the  armies  ;  I  replace  Carnot.  If  I  ask  for  it, 
I  can  be  sent  to  Turkey  as  general  of  artillery,  com- 
missioned by  the  Government  to  organize  the  Grand 
Seignior's  artillery,  with  a  good  salary  and  a  very  flatter- 
ing diplomatic  title.  I  would  have  you  appointed 
consul,  and  Villeneuve  *  accompany  me  as  engineer  ; 
you  say  that  Danthoine  is  tliere  already  ;  therefore, 

•  M.  Villeneuve  was  Postmaster-General  under  the  Empire,  and  brother 
io-law  to  Tfitig  Joseph,  having  married  one  of  the  demoiselles  Clery. 


20  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

before  a  month  is  over  I  should  arrive  in  Genoa  ;  we 
should  go  together  to  Leghorn,  where  we  sliould  em- 
Lark  :  considering  all  this,  will  you  purchase  an 
estate  ? 

"  We  are  quiet  here,  but  perhaps  storms  may  be 
brewing  ;  the  primary  assemblies  Avill  meet  in  a  few 
days.  I  shall  take  Avith  me  five  or  six  officers  ;  I  will 
write  to  you  more  in  detail  to-morrow. 

"  Vado  will  soon  be  retaken. 

''  The  resolutions  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety 
appointing  me  director  of  the  armies,  and  of  the  jalans 
of  the  campaign,  have  been  so  flattering  to  me,  that  I 
fear  that  they  will  not  let  me  go  to  Turkey  ;  we  shall 
see.  I  am  to  look  at  a  villa  to-day.  I  embrace  you. 
Continue  to  write  to  me  as  if  I  were  going  to  Turkey." 

The  abandonment  of  a  foreign  field  of  action,  with 
a  hint  at  the  spell  which  love  threw  over  his  restless 
heart,  are  given  in  the  subjoined  letter  : 

NAPOLEON"   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  September  5, 1795. 

"  The  Committee  have  decided  that  it  is  impossible 
ior  me  to  leave  France  during  the  war.  I  am  to  be 
reappointed  to  tlio  artillery,  and  I  shall  probably  con- 
tinue to  attend  the  Committee.  The  elections  and  the 
primary  assemblies  take  place  on  the  day  after  to- 
morrow :  the  peace  witli  Ilesse-Cassel  is  concluded. 

"  National  property  and  emigrants'  estates  are  not 
dear,  but  those  belonging  to  individuals  go  for  extrav- 
agant prices. 

"If  I  stay  here  it  is  possible  that  I  may  be  fool 
enough  to  marry  ;  I  wish  for  a  few  words  from  you  on 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE,  27 

Mie  subject.  Perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  speak  to 
Eugenie's  brother.  Let  me  kuow  the  result,  and  all 
shall  be  settled. 

*'  Chauvet,  who  is  goiug  to  Nice  in  ten  days,  will 
take  you  the  books  which  you  asked  for. 

"The  celebrated  Bishop  of  Autun*  and  General 
Montesquieu  are  allowed  to  return  ;  they  are  struck 
out  of  the  list  of  emigrants." 

Bonaparte's  career  up  to  this  time,  had  prepared  him 
for  his  mission.  In  Corsica,  he  was  cradled  in  tho 
midst  of  political  agitation  ;  and  hostile  from  his  boy- 
hood to  the  subjugation  of  the  island,  he  became  medi- 
tative and  reserved,  nourishing  that  self-reliance  and 
independence  of  character,  which  made  him  at  Brienne 
a  sullen  solitaire,  and  target  of  raillery  to  his  fellow- 
students.  While  this  strengthened  his  sublime  decision, 
and  quickened  his  keen  observation  of  human  nature, 
it  gave  him  that  appearance  of  severity  and  contempt 
for  man,  which  distinguished  his  manner  when  min- 
gling with  promiscuous  societ}'. 

He  was  at  this  date,  twenty-six.  The  dark  complex- 
ion of  early  years  had  worn  off  under  the  mild  sky  of 
France  ;  but  a  contagious  disease  he  had  taken  at  Tou- 
lon, from  a  soldier,  and  which  penetrated  his  system 
with  malignant  power,  so  reduced  his  frame  that  his 
flashing  eye  seemed  set  in  the  sockets  of  a  skeleton. 
He  was  soon  to  be  an  actor  in  the  drama  of  European 
revolutions. 

The  Convention  had  lost  favor  with  the  multitude, 
and  a  new  step  was  demanded  in  the  march  of  revolution. 
A  constitution  was  formed,  securing  a  Directory  of  five, 
the  executive ;  a  Council  of  five  hundred,  the  House 
of  Commons ;  and  the  Council  of  Ancients,  answering 

•TaUeyrand. 


28  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

to  the  Euglish  Peers.  The  Convention,  unwilling  to 
part  with  authority,  made  it  a  condition  of  acceptance, 
that  the  second  division  should  include  two  thirds  of 
their  niemhers.  This  excited  the  Parisians,  especially 
the  superior  classes,  who  were  indignant  because  it  dis- 
closed an  arbitrary  and  selfish  tenacity  of  power.  The 
city  was  divided  into  ninety-six  sections  or  wards,  forty- 
eight  of  which  were  in  favor  of  the  constitution, 
and  the  other  half  rejected  it,  including  the  Royalists 
and  Jacobins.  The  extremes  thus  made  common 
cause  against  the  new  order  of  things. 

With  these  insurrectionary  sections,  the  National 
Guard  united,  and  the  forces  prepared  to  attack  the 
Tuilleries,  and  compel  the  assembly  to  meet  the  wishes 
of  the  majority,  and  change  their  measures.  With  five 
hundred  regular  troops,  and  the  remnant  of  Robespierre's 
ruffian  army,  the  Convention  prepared  to  resist  the 
onset.  Menou  assumed  the  command,  and  failed  to  fill 
the  perilous  position.  While  his  indecision  alarmed  the 
body  still  in  session,  Barras  exclaimed,  as  if  a  sudden 
revelation  had  aroused  him,  "  I  have  the  man  whom  you 
want :  it  is  a  little  Corsican  officer,  who  tvill  not  stand 
iipon  ceremony.^*  This  expression  determined  the 
destiny  of  Napoleon.  He  was  soon  in  command,  and 
the  13tli  Vendemaire  (October  5th),  planted  his  cannon 
at  the  cross-streets  and  bridges,  sweeping  with  his  hail 
of  death  the  advancing  columns  of  the  insurgents,  till 
the  pavements  were  covered  with  the  slain,  and  the 
flame  of  rebellion  extinguished  in  blood.  The  new 
order  of  things  was  established,  and  Barras,  the  presid- 
ing spirit,  obtained  for  Bonaparte  the  generalship  of  the 
Army  of  the  Interior,  and  the  office  of  commandant  of 
Paris.  He  was  now  no  longer  a  unit  among  the  many, 
but  the  military  chieftain  of  a  kingdom. 

He   thus  communicates  the  intelligence  to  Joseph : 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  29 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

Paris,  night  of  the  13-14  Veudemaire,  3  in 
the  morning  [October  6],  179G. 

"At  last  all  is  over.  My  first  impulse  is  to  think  of 
yon,  and  to  tell  yon  my  news.  The  royalists,  organized 
in  their  sections,  became  every  day  more  insolent.  The 
Convention  ordered  the  section  Lepelletier  to  be  dis- 
armed. It  repulsed  the  troops.  Menou,  who  was 
in  command,  is  said  to  have  betrayed  us.  He  was  in- 
stantly superseded.  The  Convention  appointed  Barras 
to  command  the  military  force ;  the  committees  ap- 
pointed me  second  in  command.  We  made  our  dispo- 
sitions ;  the  enemy  marched  to  attack  us  in  the  Tuil- 
leries.  "We  killed  many  of  them  ;  they  killed  thirty 
of  our  men,  and  wounded  sixty.  We  have  disarmed 
the  factions,  and  all  is  quiet.  As  usual,  I  was  not 
wounded. 

**  P.  S.  Fortune  favors  me.  My  respects  to  Eugenie 
and  to  Julie." 

Charged  with  the  v.^ork  of  disarming  the  conquered 
citizens,  he  obtained  the  sword  of  the  Viscount  De 
Beauharnais,  a  blade  its  moklering  possessor  never 
dishonored.  Eugene,  in  his  boyish  enthusiasm,  re- 
solved to  have  the  weapon  wielded  by  a  father  he  loved 
and  lamented.  Presenting  himself  to  Napoleon  he 
made  his  request — the  general  was  struck  with  his 
earnestness  and  manly  bearing,  and  restored  the  relic, 
which  he  bore  away  bathed  with  tears.  The  next 
day  Josephine  called  at  the  commandant's  head-quar- 
ters, to  thank  him  in  person  for  his  kindness.  This 
increased  the  interest  Napoleon  had  entertained  for  her 
since  through  the  Triendship  of  Barras  he  formed  her 
acquaintance  in  the  social  circles  of  Paris.  It  is  related 
that  before  he  indulged  serious  intentions  of  marrying 


30      LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Madame  Beanharnais  he  offered  himself  to  Madame  De 
Permon,  an  old  family  friend,  and  an  interesting  widow, 
but  was  rejected.  However  this  may  be,  he  was  deeply 
smitten  with  the  charms  of  the  lovely  woman,  whose  son 
had  given  assurance  of  her  excellent  qualities  in  his  own 
admirable  behavior.  The  increasing  attachment  was 
every  way  favorable  to  Napoleon's  plans  and  advance- 
ment, but  a  subject  of  painful  solicitude  to  her,  which 
is  well  expressed  in  a  letter  of  some  length,  affording 
also  further  insight  into  a  heart  cultivated  no  less  than 
her  genius  : 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  am  urged  to  marry  again ;  my 
friends  counsel  the  measure,  my  aunt  almost  lays  her 
injunctions  to  the  same  effect,  and  my  children  entreat 
my  compliance.  Why  are  you  not  here  to  give  me 
your  advice  in  this  important  conjuncture  ?  to  persuade 
me  that  I  ought  to  consent  to  a  union  which  must  put 
an  end  to  the  irksomeness  of  my  present  position  ?  Your 
friendship,  in  which  I  have  already  experienced  so 
much  to  praise,  would  render  you  clear-sighted  for  my 
interests  ;  and  I  should  decide  without  hesitation  as 
soon  as  you  had  spoken.  You  have  met  General  Bona- 
parte in  my  house.  Well ! — he  it  is  who  would  supply 
a  father's  place  to  the  orphans  of  Alexander  de  Beau- 
harnais,  and  a  husband's  to  his  widow. 

**  *  Do  you  love  him  ? '  youwill  ask.  Not  exactly.  '  You 
then  dislike  him?'  Not  quite  so  bad;  but  I  find 
myself  in  that  state  of  indifference  which  is  anything 
but  agreeable,  and  which  to  devotees  in  religion  gives 
more  trouble  than  all  their  other  peccadilloes.  Love, 
being  a  species  of  worship,  also  requires  that  one  feel 
very  differently  from  all  this;  and  hence  the  need  I 
have  of  your  advice,  which  might  fix  the  perpetual 
irresolution  of  my  feeble  character.  To  assume  a 
determination  has  ever  appeared  fatiguing  to  my  Creole 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  31 

snpineness,  which  finds  it  infinitely  more  convenient  to 
follow  the  will  of  others. 

"I  admire  the  general's  courage,  the  extent  of  liis 
information — for  on  all  subjects  he  talks  equally  well 
— and  the  quickness  of  his  judgment,  which  enables 
him  to  seize  the  thoughts  of  others  almost  before  they 
are  expressed  ;  but,  I  confess  it,  I  shrink  from  the 
despotism  he  seems  desirous  of  exercising  over  all  who 
ajiproach  him.  His  searching  glance  has  something 
singular  and  inexi:)licable,  which  imposes  even  on  our 
Directors  :  judge  if  it  may  not  intimidate  a  woman  I 
Even,  what  ought  to  please  me,  the  force  of  a  passion, 
described  with  an  energy  that  leaves  not  a  doubt  of  his 
sincerity,  is  precisely  the  cause  which  arrests  the  con- 
sent I  am  often  on  the  point  of  pronouncing. 

"  Being  now  past  the  heyday  of  youth,  can  I  hope 
long  to  preserve  that  ardor  of  attachment  which,  in 
the  general  resembles  a  fit  of  delirium  ?  If,  after  our 
union,  he  should  cease  to  love  me,  will  he  not  reproach 
me  with  what  he  will  have  sacrificed  for  my  sake  ? — 
will  he  not  regret  a  more  brilliant  marriage  which  he 
might  have  contracted  ?  What  shall  I  then  reply  ? — 
what  shall  I  do  ?  I  shall  weep.  Excellent  resource  ! 
you  will  say.  Good  heavens  !  I  know  that  all  this 
can  serve  no  end;  but  it  has  ever  been  thus  ;  tears  are 
the  only  resources  left  me  when  this  poor  heart,  so 
easily  chilled,  has  suffered.  Write  quickly,  and  do 
not  fear  to  scold  me,  should  you  judge  that  I  am  wrong. 
You  know  that  whatever  comes  from  your  pen  will  be 
taken  in  good  part. 

"  Barras  gives  assurance,  that  if  I  marry  the  general, 
he  will  so  contrive  as  to  have  him  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  of  Italy.  Yesterday,  Bonaparte,  speak- 
ing of  this  favor,  which  already  excites  murmuring 
among    his  fellow-soldiers,  though  it  be  as  yet  only  a 


32  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

promise,  said  to  me,  '  Think  they  then,  I  have  need  of 
their  protection  to  arrive  at  power  ?  Egregious  mis- 
take !  They  will  all  be  but  too  happy  one  day  shouM  I 
condescend  to  grant  them  mine.  My  sword  is  by  my 
side,  and  with  it  I  will  go  far.' 

*'  What  say  you  to  this  security  of  success  ?  Is  it  not 
a  proof  of  confidence  springing  from  an  excess  of  vanity  ? 
A  general  of  brigade  protect  tlie  heads  of  government! 
That,  truly,  is  an  event  highly  probable  !  I  know 
not  how  it  is,  but  sometimes  this  waywardness  gains 
upon  me  to  such  a  degree,  that  almost  I  believe  possible 
whatever  this  singular  man  may  take  it  into  his  head 
to  attempt  ;  and  with  his  imagination,  who  can  calculate 
what  he  will  not  undertake  ? 

'*  Here, we  all  regret  you  and  console  ourselves  for  your 
prolonged  absence  only  by  thinking  of  you  every 
minute,  and  by  endeavoring  to  follow  you  step  by  step 
through  the  beautiful  country  you  are  now  traversing. 
Were  I  sure  of  meeting  you  in  Italy,  I  would  get  mar- 
ried to-morrow,  upon  condition  of  following  the  gen- 
eral ;  but  we  might  perhaps  cross  each  other  on  the 
route ;  thus  I  deem  it  more  prudent  to  wait  for  your 
reply  before  taking  my  determination.  Speed,  then, 
your  answer — and  your  return  still  more. 

"  Madame  Tallien  gives  me  in  commission  to  tell  you, 
that  she  loves  you  tenderly.  She  is  always  beautiful 
and  good  ;  employing  her  immense  influence  only  to 
obtain  pardon  for  the  unfortunate  who  address  them- 
selves to  her  ;  and  adding  to  her  acquiescence  an  air  of 
satisfaction,  which  gives  her  the  appearance  of  being 
the  person  obliged.  Her  friendship  for  me  is  ingenuous 
and  affectionate.  I  assure  you  that  the  love  I  bear  to- 
ward her  resembles  my  affection  for  you.  This  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  attachment  I  feel  for 
her.     Hortense  becomes  more  and  more  amiable  ;  her 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  33 

charming  fignre  develops  itself  :  and  I  should  have 
fitting  occasion,  if  so  inclined,  to  make  troublesome 
reflections  upon  villainous  Time,  which  merely  adorns 
one  at  the  expense  of  another.  Happily,  I  have  got 
quite  a  different  crotchet  in  my  head  at  present,  and 
skip  all  dismals  in  order  to  occupy  my  thoughts  solely 
with  a  future  which  promises  to  he  hapj)y,  since  we 
shall  soon  be  reunited,  never  again  to  be  separated. 
Were  it  not  for  this  marriage,  which  puts  me  out,  I 
should,  despite  of  all,  be  gay ;  but  while  it  remains  to 
be  disposed  of,  I  shall  torment  myself  ;  once  concluded, 
come  wliat  may,  I  shall  be  resigned.  I  am  habituated 
to  suffering  ;  and  if  destined  to  fresh  sorrows,  I  think 
I  can  endure  them,  provided  my  children,  my  aunt, 
and  you  were  spared  me.  "We  have  agreed  to  cut  short 
the  conclusions  of  our   letters,  so  adieu,  my  friend." 

It  is  very  apparent,  that  Josephine  was  more  deeply 
interested  in  her  admirer  than  she  would  have  her 
friend  believe  ;  and  asking  counsel  was  only  declaring 
both  her  passion  and  intention  to  marry.  The  months 
departed,  and  Napoleon,  though  environed  with  duties 
which  attended  his  appointment,  retired  at  evening  to 
the  mansion  of  Madame  Beauharnais,  to  hear  the  mel- 
ody of  her  voice,  and  enjoy  an  interlude  for  romantic 
pleasure,  amid  the  stormy  scenes  that  opened  before 
his  feet  the  path  of  glory.  With  a  few  select  friends, 
among  whom  Madame  Tallien  was  conspicuous,  there 
were  frequent  meetings  of  the  parties,  and  brilliant 
entertainments,  which  extended  the  friendship  and  in- 
fluence of  the  commander-in-chief,  among  the  very  class 
the  most  available  in  carrying  forward  his  ambitious 
schemes,  already  towering  above  Alpine  summits,  and 
embracing  thrones  which  had  withstood  the  flow  of 
centuries. 

Josephine  has  left  her  testimony  respecting  the  fine 
3 


34  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

conversational  powers  of  her  lover — which  is  proof  of  his 
ability  in  this  department,  whenever  he  chose  to  indulge 
tlie  abandon  of  wit,  and  compliment  in  the  society  of 
women,  for  whom,  it  is  well  known,  he  entertained  but 
a  light  opinion ;  owing  doubtless  to  the  frivolous 
character  and  easy  virtue  of  the  majority  of  those  he  met 
in  the  gay  society  of  the  metropolis. 

The  spring-time  S2:)read  beauty  again  over  the  valleys 
of  unha^jpy  France,  wliile  the  tocsin  of  war  fell  on  the 
eager  ear  of  Xapoleon.  How  the  waving  foliage  nour- 
ished by  the  decaying  dead,  the  bending  sky,  and  the 
harmonies  of  nature  filling  it,  mocked  the  mournful 
dwellings  and  breaking  hearts,  whose  tramj)led  vine- 
yards were  a  symbol  of  what  madness  had  wrought, 
and  an  index  of  future  desolation  by  the  shock  of 
contending  armies  !  But  Napoleon  listened  only  to 
the  ravishing  tones  of  love,  and  the  sweeter  notes  of 
fame's  shrill  trumpet ;  for  his  jDulse  jiever  beat  so  wildly 
with  hope  and  enthusiasm  before. 

He  led  Josephine  to  the  altar  according  to  revolu- 
tionary form,  which  was  a  simple  presentation  before 
the  proper  magistrate,  March  9th,  179G.  Barras  and 
Tallien  witnessed  the  ceremony,  and  signed  with  Le- 
marois,  an  aid-de-camp,  and  Calmelet,  a  lawyer,  the 
act  recorded  in  the  state  register  of  Paris. 

Twelve  days  later  he  bade  adieu  to  his  bride  and  was 
on  his  way  to  the  plains  of  Italy — a  parting  that  blended 
in  one  tide  of  strong  emotion,  the  afPection  of  an  ardent, 
impetuous  spirit,  and  the  glowing  desire  to  encircle  his 
brow  with  laurels,  that 

" would  burn 

And  rend  his  temples  in  return  " 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEUN  BONAPARTE.  35 


CHAPTER  II. 

Napoluon  is  appointed  to  the  chief  oomniand.— His  youth.— Leaves  Paris 
for  Nice. — Visits  his  mother. — Tlie  contending  armies. — The  character 
of  Napoleon. — His  new  tactics.— His  address  to  the  soldiers. — The  objects 
of  the  campaign. — The  route  of  passing  the  Alps. — The  conflict. — The 
victory.— The  pursuit  of  the  Austriaus.— Reaches  Cherasco,  near  Turin. 
— Dictates  terms  of  peace  to  the  king  of  Sardinia. — Again  addresses  the 
army.— His  knowledge  of  men. — florals.— Crosses  the  Po.— Battle  of 
Lodi.— Napoleon  at  Milan. — Letter  to  Joseph. — Treaty  with  the  dukes  of 
Parma  and  Modena. — .Vddress  to  the  army. — Jealousy  of  the  Directory. 
— Napoleon  pursues  the  Austrians.— Insurrection  in  Lombardy. — Treaty 
with  the  Vatican.— Wurmzer  appointed  to  the  command.— The  Austrians 
advance. — Battle  of  Lonato. — Napoleon's  peril — Incidents.— Letter  to 
Joseph. — Castiglione. — Retreat  of  Wurmzer. — Mantua  besieged. — Alvinzi 
sent  into  Italy.— The  battles  of  Areola.— Alvinzi  routed. — Battle  of  Rivoli. 
— Mantua  surrenders. — Letter  to  Josephine.— Napoleon's  success. 

A  FORTNIGHT  before  his  marriage,  Napoleon  was 
appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of  Italy. 
The  quiet  in  the  capital,  directed  the  attention  of  the 
government  to  the  condition  of  the  troops.  The  dis- 
sijKited  general,  whose  place  had  been  given  to  Xapoleon, 
left  the  army,  numbering  fifty  thousand  men,  destitute, 
and  exposed  to  a  powerful  enemy.  Cavalry  and  food 
were  wanting  ;  clothing  was  insufficient,  and  the  very 
sinews  of  war  were  weakening  every  day,  while  the 
dangers  were  augmenting.  Of  the  new  general,  Barras 
said  to  the  Directory,  ''^Advance  this  man,  or  he  will 
advance  himself  v/ithout  you."  And  when  one  of 
them  remarked,  "  You  are  rather  young  to  assume  re- 
sponsibilities so  weighty,  and  to  take  command  of  our 
veteran  generals,^'  he  replied,  ''  In  one  year  I  shall 
either  be  old  or  dead."  Three  days  after  the  marriage 
ceiemonies,  he  hastened  toward  the  headquarters  of  his 
baiialions. 


^6  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

At  Marseilles,  he  stopped  to  see  liis  mother,  for  whom 
he  always  manifested  a  noble  filial  affection.  It  was  a 
splendid  summit  of  distinction  for  her  son,  who  had 
passed  the  line  of  minority  but  five  years  before  ;  and 
we  may  believe  that  this  interview  and  the  adieu,  were 
fraught  with  materjial  tenderness  and  pride.  The 
Corsican  fugitives  were  already  on  the  grand  arena  of 
European  revolutions,  to  which  the  anxious  eyes  of  the 
world  were  turning.  A  regicide  people  were  forming 
institutions  hostile  to  the  peace  and  stability  of  sur- 
rounding thrones,  and  "  the  kings  of  the  earth  took 
counsel  together"  against  the  republic. 

There  is  nothing  marvelous  in  the  contest.  France, 
without  either  political  or  moral  elements  of  govern- 
ment and  growth  after  the  example  of  our  own,  awak- 
ened the  fears  of  those  who  undoubtingly  "believed  in 
the  divine  right  of  kings.  Nor  does  the  general  view 
affect  decisively  the  question  of  Napoleon's  motives  and 
character,  tried  by  the  standard  of  a  pure  philanthropy, 
patriotism,  and  Christian  ethics. 

The  letters  already  quoted,  and  the  subsequent  his- 
tory, will  prove  him  to  have  been  ambitious  in  the 
highest  degree  of  personal,  family,  and  national  glory. 
Gifted,  generous  in  his  impulses,  and  correct  in  morals, 
he  identified  himself  with  the  destiny  of  France,  with 
her,  and  through  her  to  carve  a  way  to  the  most  daz- 
zling eminence  of  renown  from  which  youthful  or 
maturest  footsteps  ever  sent  down  their  echoes  to 
applauding  millions. 

Such  was  Napoleon  when  he  arrived  at  Nice.  Ram- 
pon,  one  of  the  officers,  volunteered  some  words  of 
counsel.  He  resented  the  impertinence  with  his  own 
matchless  expression  of  superiority,  adding  with  spirit, 
"  Gentlemen,  the  art  of  war  is  in  its  infancy.  The 
time   has   passed   in   which   enemies  are   mutually  to 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  37 

appoint  tlie  phice  of  combat,  advance,  hat  in  hand,  and 
say,  '  Gentlenien,  io ill  you  have  the  goodness  to  firef 
We  most  cut  the  enemy  in  pieces,  precipitate  ourselves 
like  a  torrent  upon  their  battalions,  and  grind  them  to 
powder.  Experienced  generals  conduct  the  troops 
opposed  to  us  !  So  much  the  better — so  much  the 
better.  It  is  not  their  experience  which  will  avail 
them  against  ine.  Mark  my  words,  they  will  soon 
burn  their  books  on  tactics,  and  know  not  what  to  do. 
Yes,  gentlemen  I  the  first  onset  of  the  Italian  army 
will  give  birth  to  a  new  epoch  in  military  affairs.  As 
for  us,  we  must  hurl  ourselves  on  the  foe  like  a  thunder- 
bolt, and  smite  like  it.  Disconcerted  by  our  tactics, 
and  not  daring  to  put  them  into  execution,  they  will 
fly  before  us  as  the  shades  of  night  before  the  uprising 
sun."  It  was  this  sublimeh^  bold  utterance,  which 
drew  from  Augereau  the  remark,  "  We  have  here  a 
man  who  will  cut  out  some  work  for  government,  I 
think." 

His  first  address  to  the  army  was  brief  but  effective, 
thrilling  upon  their  weary  hearts  like  unearthly  music. 
"  Soldiers,"  said  he,  "yon  are  hungry  and  naked  ;  the 
republic  owes  you  much,  but  she  has  not  the  means  to 
pay  her  debts.  I  am  come  to  lead  you  into  the  most 
fertile  plains  the  sun  beholds.  Rich  provinces,  opulent 
towns,  all  shall  be  at  your  disposal.  Soldiers  !  with 
such  a  prospect  before  you,  can  you  fail  in  courage  and 
constancy  ?" 

There  was  a  wonderful  breadth  of  thought — a  com- 
prehensive insight  into  military  affairs,  in  the  tactics 
of  this  officer,  which  astonished  the  veterans  in  com- 
mand who  surrounded  him.  Napoleon  saw  at  a  glance, 
that  his  troops  with  the  cumbrous,  measured  modes 
of  warfare,  to  which  tlie  outnumbering,  disciplined 
armies  of  Europe  adhered,  would  have  a  faint  prospect 


38  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

of  great  success.  Abaudoniug  ull  the  f'ml)arrassiug 
L'omforts  of  the  campaign — depending  for  hhelter  and 
stores  on  the  conquered  territory  ;  his  policy  was  to 
move  down  like  the  apparently  lawless,  and  unheralded 
toriuido,  upon  his  enemies.  The  plan  was  original, 
daring,  and  magnificent  in  outline  and  aim.  He  meant 
to  make  the  most  of  a  demoniac  system,  concerning 
which  he  said,  "War  is  the  science  of  barbarians;  as 
he  who  has  the  heaviest  battalions  will  conquer.'" 

"  The  objects  of  the  a|)proaching  expedition  were 
three  :  first,  to  compel  the  King  of  Sardinia,  who  had 
already  lost  Savoy  and  Nice,  but  still  maintained  a 
powerful  army  on  the  frontiers  of  Piedmont,  to  aban- 
don the  alliance  of  Austria  ;  secondly,  to  compel  Aus- 
tria, by  a  bold  invasion  of  her  rich  Italian  provinces,  to 
make  such  exertions  in  that  quarter  as  might  weaken 
those  armies  which  had  so  long  hovered  on  the  French 
frontier  of  the  Rhine  ;  and,  if  possible,  to  stir  up  the 
Italian  subjects  of  that  crown  to  adopt  the  revolution- 
ary system  and  emancipate  themselves  forever  from  its 
yoke.  The  third  object,  though  more  distant,  was  not 
less  important.  The  Directory  had  taken  umbrage 
against  the  Roman  Church,  regarding  it  as  the  secret 
support  of  royalism  in  France  ;  and  to  reduce  the  Vati- 
can into  insignificance,  or  at  least  force  it  to  submission 
and  quiescence,  appeared  indispensable  to  the  internal 
tranquillity  of  the  French  nation.'" 

The  Austrian  General  Beaulieu,  anticipating  the 
designs  of  Napoleon  on  Italy,  arranged  his  immense 
force  to  cover  Genoa,  and  guard  the  Alpine  passes. 
He  took  a  position  at  Voltri,  ten  miles  from  Genoa  ; 
D'Argenteau  was  at  Monte  Notte,  a  summit  further 
west ;  while  the  Sardinian  troops  commanded  by  Colli. 
were  stationed  at  Ceva,  completing  the  right  wing  of 
the  allied  armies,  and  presenting  a  threatening  barrier 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  39 

of  disuipliued  soldiers,  more  formidable  than  the 
trowning  Alps  to  the  advance  of  the  French.  To  op- 
pose and  rout  this  overwhelming  force.  Napoleon 
must  rely  upon  the  untried  power  of  his  novel  plan 
of  attack,,  of  whicli  his  enemy  had  no  intimation.  To 
cross  the  Alps,  his  design  was  also  his  own.  Instead 
of  attempting  any  of  the  usual  paths  over  the  fearful 
summits,  he  had  decided  to  march  along  the  slope  be- 
tween the  precipitous  ranges  and  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  where  the  Alps  sink  into  the  depression  Avhich 
divides  them  from  the  Apennines.  Toward  this  point, 
both  armies  mustered  their  strength,  and  there  the 
inferior,  weakened  regiments  of  the  Directory,  were 
to  encounter  the  splendid  columns  of  the  Austrian 
commander. 

April  11th,  179G,  tlirough  a  pelting  storm  and  the 
yielding  soil,  he  moved  with  incredible  rapidity  toward 
Monte  Notte,  the  strong  center  of  the  entire  army. 
When  he  gained  the  heights,  he  beheld  before  hijn 
the  encampment  and  the  valley,  where  soon  the  die 
would  be  cast ;  his  first  great  victory  won,  or  his  hopes 
quenched  in  blood.  The  pause  was  brief  ;  the  order  to 
fall  on  the  foe  was  given,  and  the  smoke  of  bloody  con- 
flict rolled  upward  from  the  plain,  D'Argenteau  finding 
himself  surrounded,  was  compelled  to  retreat,  leaving 
three  thousand  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  The 
new  method  of  attack  was  no  longer  an  experiment : 
and  Bonaparte  was  a  conqueror,  and  the  terror  of  Eu- 
rope's select  battalions. 

The  Austrians  fled  to  Dego  ;  the  Sardinian  wing  fell 
back  to  Millesimo  ;  and  D'Argenteau  endeavored  to  rally 
his  disheartened  detachments,  and  form  again  in  order 
of  battle.  The  next  day,  before  the  expected  rein- 
forcements from  Lombardy  could  arrive  to  strengthen 
the  allies,  who  hoped  in  their  new  position  to  save  Milan 


40      LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  Turin,  Napoleon  marched  upon  the  Austrian  line. 
Augereau  was  sent  toward  Millesimo,  Massena  to  Dego, 
and  Laharpe  turned  the  leftflank  of  the  commander-in- 
chief.  Each  did  his  work  well.  At  Dego,  where 
Beaulieu  had  intrenched  himself,  theAustrians  were  de- 
feated, the  general  driven  from  his  position,  and  three 
thousand  j)risoners  taken.  The  Sardinians  at  Millesimo 
surrendered,  numbering  fifteen  hundred  ;  a  disaster 
which  reduced  them  to  a  wreck,  and  wiped  out  their 
name  from  the  list  of  boastful  allies.  Napoleon  now 
moved  on  like  an  Alpine  avalanche  toward  Turin  the 
capital  of  Sardinia.  On  the  heights  of  Zeamolo,  he  be- 
held, as  did  the  crusaders  the  city  of  David  from  en- 
circling hills,  the  glorious  prize  for  which  he  fought — 
the  verdant  river-veined  and  fertile  plains  of  lovely  Italy. 
His  troops  poured  down  upon  the  promised  land  with  de- 
light. At  Ceva  he  met  the  foe,  eight  thousand  strong, 
and  after  an  indecisive  conflict,  overtook  them  again 
near  the  torrent  Carsuglia ;  where  a  desperate  battle 
was  fought,  and  the  bridge  crossed.  Napoleon  marched 
on  to  Cherasco,  within  ten  miles  of  Turin,  where  he  en- 
camped, to  dictate  the  terms  on  which  the  king  could 
hold  his  throne,  and  the  government  in  form  and  name 
continue.  He  demanded,  before  measures  for  an  ar- 
mistice were  considered,  the  surrender  of  Coni,  Tortona, 
and  Alexandria,  fortresses  which  bore  the  name  of 
"  the  keys  of  the  Alps."  When  he  discovered  hesitation, 
he  sternly  added,  "  Listen  to  the  laws  I  impose  upon 
you  in  the  name  of  my  country,  and  obey,  or  to-morrow 
my  batteries  are  erected,  and  Turin  is  in  flames."  Thus 
all  of  consequence  but  Turin  itself  was  in  his  hands,  and 
an  ambassador  on  his  way  to  Paris,  to  conclude  the  treaty 
with  the  kingdom,  leaving  his  way  unobstructed  to  carry 
on  tlie  war  against  Austria.  In  less  than  a  month  the 
young  Corsican  liad  conquered  in  three  grand  battles. 


T.IFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE  4| 

killed,  wounded  and  captured  tweiUy-Jive  iUouaand  iiieii  ; 
taken  eighty  guns,  and  twenty-one  standards  ;  and 
that  too  with  an  army  inferior  in  numbers,  and  in  all 
the  appendages  of  the  battle-field,  and  with  compara- 
tively an  insignificant  loss  of  men.  Never  before  was 
such  dazzling  and  sanguinary  conflict  witnessed,  and 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise  in  t'he  science  of  human  slaughter 
so  utterly  confounded. 

Prepared  to  move  forward  to  his  greater  enterprise, 
he  cast  his  eye  upward  to  the  majestic  peaks  that  glit- 
tered in  the  sunlight,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Hannibal  forced 
the  Alps,  and  we  have  turned  them.""  He  then  ad- 
dressed, Avith  stirring  eloquence,  his  troops  : 

"■  Hitherto  you  have  been  fighting  for  barren  rocks, 
memorable  for  your  valor,  but  useless  to  your  country  ; 
but  now  your  exploits  equal  those  of  the  armies  of  Hol- 
land and  the  Ehine.  You  were  utterly  destitute  and  you 
have  supplied  all  your  wants.  You  have  gained  battles 
without  cannon,  passed  rivers  without  bridges,  per- 
formed forced  marches  without  shoes,  bivouacked  with- 
out strong  liquors,  and  often  without  bread.  None 
but  republican  phalanxes,  soldiers  of  liberty,  could  have 
endured  such  things.  Thanks  for  your  perseverance  ! 
But,  soldiers,  you  have  done  nothing — for  there  remains 
much  to  do.  Milan  is  not  yet  yours.  The  ashes  of  the 
conquerors  of  Tarquin  are  still  trampled  by  the  assassins 
of  Basseville." 

Xapoleon's  consummate  knowledge  of  human  nature 
was  visible  in  his  every  act.  He  knew  how  to  reach 
the  soldiers  sympathy  and  inflame  his  enthusiasm.  His 
system  of  warfare,  and  his  modest  style  of  announcing 
his  successes,  were  all  marked  with  the  same  profound 
insight  of  the  secret  of  power  over  the  minds  of  men. 
This  marvelous  quality  of  character  he  expressed,  when 
he  remarked:  *'My   extreme  youth  when  I  took  com- 


42  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Tiiaiul  of  the  army  of  Italy,  rendered  it  iiorossa,ry  that 
I  should  evince  great  reserve  of  manners,  and  the 
utmost  severity  of  morals.  This  was  indispensable  to 
enable  me  to  sustain  authority  over  men  so  greatly  my 
superiors  in  age  and  experience.  I  pursued  a  line  of 
conduct  in  the  highest  degree  irreproachable  and  ex- 
emplary. In  spotless  morality  I  was  a  Cato,  and  must 
have  appeared  such  to  all.  I  was  a  philosopher  and  a 
sage.  My  supremacy  could  be  retained  only  by  proving 
myself  a  better  man  than  any  other  man  in  the  army. 
Had  I  yielded  to  human  weaknesses,  I  should  have  lost 
my  power." 

While  the  motive  revealed  cannot  claim  the  name  of 
virtue,  the  morality  it  secured  shed  luster  uj)on  his 
name.  His  position  at  this  period  in  his  history  was 
sublime,  and  his  fame  the  admiration  of  the  world. 

The  kingdom  of  Sardinia,  comprised  Nice,  Savoy, 
Montferrat,  and  Piedmont ;  of  the  latter  Napoleon 
was  now  the  undisputed  master.  He  sent  messages  of 
affection  to  Josephine,  who  in  her  unselfish  devotion 
rejoiced  more  than  himself,  in  every  conquest  of  his 
battalions,  and  pressed  on  to  overtake  Beaulieu,  who 
had  retreated  behind  the  Po.  By  artful  maneuvering 
he  made  the  Austrian  general  believe  that  he  designed 
to  cross  the  river  at  Valenza,  while  under  cover  of  night 
he  marched,  with  unequaled  rapidity,  eighty  miles  down 
the  stream  in  thirty-six  hours,  sweeping  Avith  him  every 
boat  upon  its  banks.  On  the  7th  of  May,  he  crossed  in 
ferry  boats,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  in  the 
face  of  two  reconnoitering  squadrons  of  the  enemy,  who 
gazed  with  bewildering  amazement  on  the  scene,  and 
he  was  on  the  plains  of  Lombardy.  Beaulieu,  upon 
learning  the  successful  stratagem,  marclied  forward, 
hoping  to  give  the  French  battle  with  the  Po  behind 
them,  to  make  the  advantage  to  him  as  great  as  pos- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  43 

Bible.  Napoleon  anticipated  him  in  this  design,  ami 
pressed  on  to  Fombio,  where  the  advanced  divisions  of 
the  two  armies  met  on  the  8th  of  May.  The  Anstrians 
occupied  the  steeples,  the  windows,  and  roofs  of  the 
houses,  and  poured  down  their  fire  on  the  enemy 
crowding  the  streets.  Before  the  impetuous  charge  of 
the  French,  a  third  of  their  men  fell,  and  the  remainder 
fled  ;  leaving  their  cannon  behind.  On  the  banks  of 
the  Adda,  Beaulieu  drew  up  his  army,  defending  every 
passage,  especially  the  bridge  of  Lodi,  across  which 
he  justly  thought  Napoleon  would  attempt  to  force  a 
transit. 

The  wooden  bridge  of  Lodi  formed  the  scene  of  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  actions  of  the  war.  It  was  a 
great  neglect  in  Beaulieu  to  leave  it  standing  when  he 
removed  his  headquarters  to  the  east  bank  of  the  Adda  ; 
his  outposts  were  driven  rapidly  through  the  old  strag- 
gling town  of  Lodi  on  the  lOtli  ;  and  the  Frencli, 
sheltering  themselves  behind  the  walls  and  the  houses, 
lay  ready  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the  bridge.  Beau- 
lieu had  placed  a  battery  of  thirty  cannon  so  as  to  sweep 
it  completely  ;  and  the  enterprise  of  storming  it  in  the 
face  of  this  artillery,  and  of  a  whole  army  drawn  up 
behind,  is  one  of  the  most  daring  on  record. 

Bonaparte's  first  care  was  to  place  as  many  guns  as  he 
could  get  in  order,  in  direct  opposition  to  this  Aus^- 
trian  battery,  A  furious  cannonade  on  his  side  of  the 
river  also  now  commenced.  The  general  himself  ap- 
peared in  the  midst  of  the  fire,  pointing  with  his  own 
hand  two  guns  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cut  off  the 
Austrians  from  the  only  path  byAvhich  they  could  have 
advanced  to  undermine  the  bridge  ;  and  it  was  on  this 
occasion  that  the  soldiery,  delighted  with  his  daunt- 
less exposure  of  his  person,  conferred  on  him  his  hon- 
orary nickname  of   Tlte  Little  Corporal.     In  the  mean 


J.J,  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

time,  he  had  sent  General  Beaumont  and  the  cavalry  to 
attempt  the  passage  of  the  river,  by  a  distant  ford 
(which  they  had  much  difficulty  in  effecting),  and 
awaited  with  anxiety  the  moment  when  they  should  ap- 
pear on  the  enemy's  flank.  When  that  took  place,  Beau- 
lieu's  line,  of  course,  showed  some  confusion,  and 
Napoleon  instantly  gave  the  word.  A  column  of  gren- 
adiers, whom  he  had  kept  ready  drawn  up  close  to  the 
bridge,  but  under  shelter  of  the  houses,  were  in  a  mo- 
ment wheeled  to  the  left,  and  their  leading  files  placed 
on  the  bridge.  They  rushed  on,  shouting  Vive  la  Ee- 
publiqne !  but  the  storm  of  grape-shot  for  a  moment 
checked  them.  Bonaparte,  Lannes,  Berthier,  and 
Lallemagne,  hurried  to  the  front,  and  rallied  and 
cheered  the  men.  The  column  dashed  across  the  bridge 
in  despite  of  the  tempest  of  fire  that  thinned  them. 
The  brave  Lannes  was  the  first  who  reached  the  other 
side,  Napoleon  himself  the  second.  The  Austrian  ar- 
tillery-men were  bayoneted  at  their  guns,  ere  the  other 
troops  whom  Beaulieu  had  removed  too  far  back,  in  his 
anxiety  to  avoid  the  French  battery,  could  come  to  their 
assistance.  Beaumont  pressed  gallantly  with  his  horse 
upon  the  flank,  and  Napoleon's  infantry  formed  rapidly 
as  they  passed  the  bridge,  and  cluirged  on  the  instant  ; 
the  Austrian  line  became  involved  in  inextricable  confu- 
sion, broke  up  and  fled.  The  slaughter  on  their  side 
was  great ;  on  the  French  side,  there  fell  only  tw^o 
hundred  men.  With  such  rapidity,  and  consequently 
with  so  little  loss,  did  Bonaparte  execute  this  dazzling 
adventure — "  the  terrible  passage,"  as  he  himself  called 
i.t,  "  of  the  bridge  of  Lodi." 

It  was,  indeed,  terrible  to  the  enemy.  It  deprived 
them  of  another  excellent  line  of  defense  ;  and  raised 
the  enthusiasm  of  tlie  French  soldiery  to  a  pitch  of 
irresistible  daring.    Beaulieu,  nevertheless,  contrived  to 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  45 

withdraw  his  troops  in  much  better  style  than  Bona- 
parte had  anticipated.  He  gatliered  the  scattered 
fragments  of  his  force  together,  and  soon  threw  the  line 
of  the  Mincio,  a  tributary  of  tlie  Po,  between  himself 
and  his  enemy.  The  great  object,  however,  had  been 
attained  :  and  no  obstacle  remained  between  the  victo- 
rious invader  and  the  rich  and  noble  capital  of  Lom- 
bardy.  The  garrison  of  Pizzighitone,  seeing  tliemselves 
effectually  cut  off  from  the  Austrian  army,  capitulated. 
The  French  cavalry  pursued  Beaulieu  as  far  as  Cre- 
mona, which  town  they  seized  ;  and  Bonaparte  himself 
prepared  to  march  upon  Milan.  It  was  after  one  of 
these  affairs  that  an  old  Hungarian  officer  was  brought 
prisoner  to  Bonaparte,  who  entered  into  conversation 
with  him,  and  among  other  matters  questioned  him 
"what  he  thought  of  the  state  of  the  Avar?" 
"  Nothing,"  replied  the  old  gentleman,  who  did  not 
know  he  was  addressing  the  general-in-chief,  '^  nothijig 
can  be  worse.  Here  is  a  young  man  who  knows  abso- 
lutely nothing  of  the  rules  of  war  ;  to-day  he  is  in  our 
rear,  to-morrow  on  our  flank,  next  day  again  in  our 
front.  Such  violations  of  the  jjrinciples  of  the  art  of 
war  are  intolerable  ! " 

The  charming  and  fruitful  plains  of  Lombardy, 
which,  conquered  by  Austria,  Avere  ruled  by  the  Arch- 
duke Ferdinand,  was  now  in  the  hands  of  Napoleon. 
While  the  Austrians  withdrew  into  the  Tyrol,  Fer- 
dinand and  the  duchess,  sadly  retired  from  the  j^alace 
of  Milan.  In  the  very  ranks  of  the  retreating  troops, 
the  revolutionary  party  secretly  existing  here,  as  well 
as  elsewhere  beneath  the  Austrian  flag,  displayed 
openly  the  tri-color  cockade,  and  the  municipal  author- 
ities waited  with  a  cordial  welcome  upon  the  victorious 
Corsican.  A  month  after  the  decisive  blow  at  Monte 
Notte,  and  four  days  after  the  bloody  affair  at  Lodi, 


40  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BON7VPARTE. 

Napoleon  entered  the  capital  of  the  Lombard  kings  in 
complete  and  splendid  triumph.  He  there  Avrote  the 
following  brief  note  to  his  brother,  in  which  both  a 
royal  dictation  in  family  plans,  and  love  for  Josephine 
are  disclosed  : 

XAPOLEON   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Milan,  May  14,*  179fi. 

"  All  goes  on  well.  Pray  arrange  Paulette's  affairs. 
I  do  not  intend  Freron  to  marry  her.  Tell  her  so,  and 
let  him  know  it  too. 

*'  We  are  masters  of  all  Lombardy. 

"  Adieu,  my  dear  Joseph  ;  give  me  news  of  my  wife. 
I  liear  that  she  .is  ill,  which  Avrings  my  heart." 

Of  the  Italian  powers,  Naples  alone  remained  hostile 
and  unconquered. 

jSTapoleoii's  intention  to  humble  Eonie,  however,  he 
did  not  conceal,  whenever  the  i)rovocation  or  oppor- 
tunity came.  Persuaded  that  all  the  princes  of  the 
invaded  peninsula  were  opposed  to  his  progress,  he  re- 
solved to  make  thorough  work  of  the  conquest,  and 
regard  those  who  were  not  with  him  as  against  him. 
The  Dukes  of  Parma  and  Modena,  possessed  of  great 
wealth  but  with  small  defense,  submitted  to  his  terms 
of  tribute  money,  and  a  contribution  of  fine  old  paint- 
ings for  the  galleries  of  Paris.  He  then  issued  another 
thrilling  address  to  his  army,  already  flushed  with 
victory,  and  impatient  to  follow  their  deified  general. 

"  Soldiers  !  you  have  descended  like  a  torrent  from 
the  Apennines.  You  have  overwhelmed  everything 
M'hich  opposed  your  progress.  Piedmont  is  delivered 
from  the  tyranny  of  Austria,  Milan  is  in  your  haiuls, 

♦This  date  is  erroneous.    Napoleon  entered  Milan  the  26th  Floreal,  or 
the  15th  of  May.— Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  47 

and  the  republican  standards  wave  over  the  whole  of 
Lombardy.  The  Dukes  of  Parma  and  Modena  owe 
their  existence  to  your  generosity.  The  army  which 
menaced  you  with  so  much  pride,  can  no  longer  find 
a  bai-rier  to  protect  itself  against  your  arms.  The  Po, 
the  Ticino,  the  Adda,  have  not  been  able  to  stop  you 
u  single  day.  These  boasted  bulwarks  of  Italy  have 
l)roved  as  nugatory  as  the  Alps.  Such  a  career  of 
success  has  carried  joy  into  the  bosom  of  your  country. 
Fetes  in  honor  of  your  victories  have  been  ordered  in 
all  the  communes  of  the  Eepublic.  There  your  parents, 
your  Avives,  your  sisters,  your  lovers,  rejoice  in  your 
achievements,  and  boast  with  pride  that  you  belong  to 
them.  Yes,  soldiers  !  yon  have  indeed  done  much,  but 
much  remains  still  to  be  done.  Shall  jiosterity  say  that 
we  knew  how  to  conquer,  but  knew  not  how  to  improve 
victory  ?  Shall  we  find  a  Capua  in  Lombardy  ?  We 
have  forced  marches  to  make,  enemies  to  subdue, 
Liurels  to  gather,  injuries  to  revenge.  Let  those  who 
have  whetted  the  daggers  of  civil  war  in  France,  who 
have  assassinated  our  ministers,  who  have  burned  our 
ships  at  Toulon,  let  these  tremble — the  hour  of  venge- 
ance has  struck  !  But  let  not  the  people  be  alarmed. 
We  are  the  friends  of  the  people  everywhere ;  partic- 
ularly of  the  Brutuses,  the  Scipios,  and  the  great  men 
we  have  taken  for  our  models.  To  re-establish  the 
Capitol ;  to  replace  the  statues  of  the  heroes  who 
rendered  it  illustrious  ;  to  rouse  the  Romans,  stupefied 
by  centuries  of  slavery — such  will  be  the  fruit  of  your 
victories.  They  will  form  an  epoch  with  posterity. 
To  you  'will  pertain  the  immortal  glory  of  changing  the 
face  of  the  finest  portion  of  Europe.  The  French 
people,  free  and  respected  by  the  whole  world,  Avill  give 
to  Europe  a  glorious  peace.  You  will  then  return  to 
your  homes,  and  your  fellow-citizens  will  say,  jiointing 


4S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

to  you,  '  He  belonged  to  the  army  of  Italy  !  * "  What 
chord  of  a  soldier's  heart  was  not  touched  in  this  burst 
of  eloquence.  Exultation  over  the  past  success,  the 
admiring  gratitude  of  country  and  friends,  the  glory 
and  revenge  of  the  future,  were  all  concentrated  in  the 
brilliant  harangue.  Tlien,  while  robbing  the  conquered 
of  treasures  to  support  tlie  army,  and  pictures  as  sou- 
venirs of  his  conquest,  he  persuaded  them  that  he  was 
the  devoted  friend  of  the  common  people. 

Upon  the  sixth  day  after  his  magnificent  entrance 
into  the  palace  of  Ferdinand,  ISTapoleon  left  its  splendid 
apartments,  in  pursuit  of  the  Austrian  general. 

A  detachment  remained  to  blockade  the  citadel, 
which  had  not  surrendered  to  the  conqueror.  Beau- 
lieu  was  intrenched  on  the  banks  of  the  Mincio,  Avith 
Mantua,  "  the  citadel  of  Italy,"  on  the  left,  and  Pes- 
chiera,  a  Venetian  fortress  he  had  taken,  on  the  right. 
The  Lago  di  Guarda  spread  its  Avaters  towaM  the 
Tyrolese  Alps,  extending  the  area  of  defense,  and  keep- 
ins:  unobstructed  a  channel  of  communication  with 
Vienna.  To  this  stronghold  of  a  disciplined  army. 
Napoleon  moved  rapidly,  expecting  nothing  less  than 
a  complete  defeat  of  his  equally  sanguiue  foe.  At  this 
juncture,  the  Directory  were  in  the  trepidation  of  fear 
at  the  ^spreading  glory  and  commanding  influence  of 
their  youthful  hero,  and  they  decided  at  once  to  check 
his  royal  march  to  renown.  Their  plan  was  to  divide 
the  command,  and  Kellerman,  a  distinguished  and 
veteran  ofHcer,  was  appointed  his  associate,  to  pursue 
the  Austrians,  leaving  Napoleon  to  march  upon  the 
Papal  dominions.  But  his  reply  Avas  characteristic  of 
the  man,  lie  immediately  tendered  his  resignation, 
and  added  briefly  his  reason :  "  One-half  of  the  army 
of  Italy  cannot  suffice  to  finish  the  matter  with  the 
Austrians.     It  is  only  by  keeping  my  force  entire  that 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  49 

I  have  been  able  to  gain  so  many  battles,  and  to  be 
now  in  Milan.  You  had  better  have  one  bad  general 
than  two  good  ones.'* 

The  Directory  were  vanquished,  and  left  the  com- 
mander-in-chief in  undisputed  direction  of  the  troops — 
the  last  effort  to  restrain  or  guide  his  unexanij)led 
career.  And  here  another  unexpected  delay  occurred 
in  the  progress  toward  Mantua,  An  insurrection  had 
arisen  in  Lombardy,  fanned  by  the  heavy  tribute  de- 
manded by  the  French,  and  the  irreverent  disregard  of 
their  churches  and  clergy.  A  rumored  advance  of  Aus- 
trian levies  gave  strength  to  the  rebellion,  until  thirty 
thousand  men  were  ready  for  conflict.  They  drove  the 
French  garrison  before  them  at  Pavia.  Then  com- 
menced the  tragical  policy  of  Xapoleon,  indicated  in  his 
slaughter  of  the  sections  in  Paris.  Lannes  was  ordered 
to  chastise  the  insurgents  by  burniugBenaseo,  and  put- 
ting the  inhabitants  to  the  sword,  while  Napoleon 
marched  on  Pavia,  swept  the  gates  like  cobwebs  from 
his  path,  and  executed  the  leaders  of  the  insurrection. 

At  Lugo,  where  a  squadron  of  the  republican  army 
had  been  defeated,  he  massacred  without  pity  the  entire 
population.  The  remedy  was  effective — the  rebellion 
was  drowned  in  blood.  It  is  idle  to  apologize  for  the 
lawless  destruction  of  life,  on  the  ground  of  necessary 
chastisement.  For  there  can  be  no  excuse  for  so  mur- 
derous and  exterminating  carnage,  when  the  people 
rose  to  defend  their  invaded  soil.  One  such  scene  in 
the  history  of  Washington  would  have  darkened  his 
fair  fame  forever.  The  truth  is,  Xapoleon  valued  human 
life  no  more  in  questions  of  conquest  and  glory,  than 
he  did  the  fruitage  of  the  plains  over  which  he  swept, 
like  conflagration  and  pestilence  conspiring  to  destroy 
both  the  proprietors  of  the  soil  and  its  vegetation. 

The  versatility  of  Napoleon's  imperial  genius,  waa 
4 


50  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

seen  in  his  familiarit}^  with  every  department  of  human 
progress,  and  perfect  self-possession  on  all  occasions. 
At  Pavia,  amid  the  excitements  of  his  conquering 
presence,  he  entered  its  celebrated  university,  and  passed 
from  class  to  class  with  the  rapidity  of  untamed  enthu- 
siasm, and.  with  the  jDrecision  and  directness  of  a 
philosoj)her. 

Napoleon,  having  subdued  the  Austrian  and  Catho- 
lic revolutionists,  pressed  forward  toward  the  Mincio, 
Beaulieii  was  again  deceived  by  the  strategy  of  his 
enemy.  He  thought  Napoleon  would  cross  the  river  at 
Peschiera,  while  he  was  preparing  to  make  the  passage 
further  down  at  Borghetto.  The  Austrian  garrison 
demolished  an  arch  of  the  bridge,  which  he  soon  sup- 
plied with  planks,  and  in  an  hour  was  on  the  opposite 
laank.  Eegarding  the  immediate  work  accomplished, 
he  was  refreshing  himself,  and  about  to  dine  in  the  inn 
of  which  he  took  possession,  when  his  attendants  rushed 
into  his  presence,  shouting,  ''To  arms!"  Bonaparte 
)nounted  a  charger,  and  through  a  retired  gateway  made 
his  escape.  A  detachment  of  the  Austrian  force, 
stationed  below  ]\Iincio,  hearing  the  cannonade,  had 
hastened  to  assist  their  comrades  ;  but  arriving  too  late, 
came  near  capturing  the  head  and  soul  of  the  French 
army,  while  quietly  resting  in  the  rear  of  the  marching 
columns  of  the  pursued  and  the  pursuing.  Napoleon 
from  this  startling  hint,  formed  a  corps  of  picked  men 
called  guides  to  guard,  his  person. 

From  this  affair  at  Valleggio,  sprang  the  Imperial 
Guard  of  Napoleon,  whose  fame  will  be  indissolubly  as- 
sociated with  that  of  their  chief.  Napoleon  now  laid 
siege  u|)on  Mantua,  into  which  Beaulieu  had  poured 
fifteen  thousand  soldiers,  and  whose  walls  frowned  de- 
fiantly upon  tlie  hitherto  resistless  enemy.  The  Austrian 
general  waited  for  further  reinforcements  to  garrison 


lAFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE,  51 

this  fortress,  around  which  the  hopes  of  millions 
gathered,  while  Napoleon  beleaguered  it  without  delay. 
The  city  and  fortress  is  situated  on  an  island,  from 
whicli  diverge  five  causeways,  theonly  avenues  of  access, 
and  these  were  guarded  with  intrenched  camps,  gates, 
drawbridges  and  batteries.  With  his  usual  precipitate 
and  well  directed  action,  Bonaparte  secured  immediately 
by  storm,  four  of  the  causeways,  leaving  the  Austrians 
in  possession  of  one,  but  that  the  most  impregnable, 
called  La  Favor ita,  after  a  grand  palace  near  it.  To 
strengthen  his  position,  he  determined  further,  regard- 
less of  the  rule  of  neutrality,  to  conquer  the  domain  of 
Venice,  stretching  away  from  Mantua.  Embracing  the 
pretext  of  a  reluctant  refusal  by  Venice  to  let  the  Count 
of  Provence,  brother  of  Louis  XVI.,  find  a  refuge  in 
her  territory — an  act  of  inhosjDitality  demanded  by  the 
Directory — he  sent  garrisons  to  Verona  and  similar 
points  of  defense.  He  raised  the  tricolor  at  the  Tyro- 
lese  passes,  and  returned  to  Milan  to  finish  his  work 
there.  Serrurier  remained  at  Mantua.  Naples  was 
under  the  reign  of  an  inefficient  Bourbon,  who  was  an 
ally  of  the  English  in  the  siege  of  Toulon,  and  now  of 
the  Austrians  in  the  same  cause.  He  Avas  amazed  and 
terrified  with  the  victories  of  Napoleon,  and  sent  pro- 
posals of  peace.  Napoleon  was  glad  to  consider  them, 
both  because  he  had  other  employment  for  his  troops 
than  war  upon  Naples,  and  a  treaty  would  divert  a 
strong  force  from  the  Austrian  ranks.  An  armistice 
Avas  soon  succeeded  by  peace,  which  virtually  placed  in 
tlie  power  of  the  French  the  King  of  the  Sicilies. 
I'he  path  toward  the  Vatican  was  now  cleared,  and  the 
Pope  himself  trembled  before  the  young  Napoleon,  who 
occupied  Bologna  and  Ferrara,  including  four  hundred 
prisoners  in  the  latter  town,  and  the  cardinal  who  com- 
manded the  troops.     The  Pope  in  haste  sent  an  ambas' 


52  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

sador  to  Bologna,  to  arrange  the  terms  of  an  armistice. 
With  the  surrender  of  the  two  cities  already  seized,  and 
Ancona,  Napoleon  demanded  a  million  of  pounds  ster- 
ling, a  hundred  paintings  and  statues,  and  five  hundred 
ancient  manuscripts  for  the  museum  of  Paris.  For  a 
more  definite  treaty,  he  referred  the  Pontiff  to  the 
Directory.  Tuscany,  whose  Duke  had  remained  neutral 
in  the  contest  with  France,  and  even  recognized  cordially 
the  Republic,  next  arrested  the  attention  of  Napoleon. 
At  Leghorn,  English  vessels  were  riding  in  harbor  under 
the  eye  of  the  governor.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by 
Napoleon,  and  sent  to  the  Grand  Duke,  on  the  charge 
of  violating  the  neutrality.  The  prince  was  brother  of 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  this  was  evidence  against 
his  sincerity  to  the  mind  of  the  French  commander, 
who  consulted,  under  every  pretext,  the  consummation 
of  his  stupendous  plans.  Eeferring  to  these  abuses  of 
power,  he  once  remarked  with  apologetic  truthfulness  : 
*'  It  is  a  sad  case  when  the  dwarf  comes  into  the  embrace 
of  the  giant,  he  is  like  enough  to  be  suffocated  ;  but  it 
is  the  giant's  nature  to  squeeze  hard." 

Thus  Napoleon,  setting  aside  even  the  wishes  of  the 
central  government,  which  was  imbued  with  the  most 
fiery  re23ublicanism,  instead  of  forming  with  revolu- 
tionary rapidity,  i-epublics  of  the  submissive  kingdoms, 
more  wisely  preferred  to  use  them  under  the  safer  in- 
fluence of  the  established  order  of  things.  There  is  a 
strange  and  fascinating  pre-eminence  in  a  mind,  not 
in  the  maturity  of  manhood,  treating  with  sublime  in- 
difference the  opinions  and  scepters  of  a  continent,  and 
crowning  all  by  an  independence,  Avhich  dared  to  act 
without  the  approval  of  the  authority  which  gave  him 
his  high  command. 

"The  cabinet  of  Vienna  had  at  last  resolved  upon 
sending  efficient  aid  to  the  Italian  frontier.     Beaulieu 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  53 

had  been  too  often  unfortunate  to  be  trusted  longer. 
Wurniser,  who  enjoyed  a  reputation  of  the  highest 
class,  was  sent  to  replace  him  :  thirty  thousand  men 
were  drafted  from  the  armies  on  the  Rhine  to  accom- 
pany the  new  general  ;  and  he  carried  orders  to 
strengthen  himself  further  on  his  march,  by  what- 
ever recruits  he  could  raise  among  the  warlike  and 
loyal  population  of  the  Tyrol. 

"Wurniser's  army  when  he  fixed  his  headquarters 
at  Trent,  mustered  in  all  eighty  thousand  ;  while  Bona- 
parte had  but  thirty  thousand  to  hold  a  wide  coun- 
try in  which  abhorrence  of  the  French  cause  was  now 
prevalent,  to  keep  up  the  blockade  of  Mantua,  and  to 
oppose  this  fearful  odds  of  numbers  in  the  field.  He 
was  now,  moreover,  to  act  on  the  defensive,  while  his 
adversary  assumed  the  more  inspii'iting  character  of 
mvader.     He  awaited  the  result  with  calmness. 

"  Wurmser  might  have  learned  from  the  successes  of 
Bonaparte  the  advantages  of  compact  movement ;  yet 
he  was  unwise  3nough  to  divide  his  great  force  into 
three  separate  '"olumns,  and  to  place  one  of  these  upon 
a  line  of  mar  h  which  entirely  separated  it  from  the 
support  of  thv.  others.  He  himself  with  his  center, 
came  down  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Lago  di  Guarda, 
with  Mantua  before  him  as  his  mark  ;  his  left  wing, 
under  Melas,  was  to  descend  the  Adige,  and  drive  the 
French  from  Verona ;  while  his  right  wing,  under 
Quasdanovich,  was  ordered  to  keep  down  the  valley 
of  the  Chiese,  in  the  direction  of  Brescia,  and  so  to 
cut  off  the  retreat  of  Bonajoarte  upon  the  Milanese — 
in  other  words,  to  interpose  the  waters  of  the  Lago  di 
Guarda  between  themselves  and  the  march  of  their 
friends — a  blunder  not  likely  to  escaj)e  the  eagle  eye 
of  Xapoleon. 

"  He  immediately  determined  to  march  against  Quag- 


54  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

danovich,  and  fight  him  where  he  conld  not  be  sup- 
ported by  the  other  two  columns.  This  could  not  be 
done  without  abandoning  for  the  time  the  blockade  of 
Mantua,  which  was  accordingly  done.  The  guns  were 
buried  iu  the  trenches  during  the  night  of  the  31st 
July,  and  the  French  quitted  the  place  with  a  precipi- 
tation which  the  advancing  Austrians  considered  as 
the  result  of  terror. 

'*  Napoleon,  meanwhile,  rushed  against  Quasdano- 
vicli,  who  had  already  come  near  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  of  Guarda.  At  Salo,  close  to  the  lake,  and  fur- 
ther from  it,  at  Lonato,  two  divisions  of  the  Austrian 
column  were  attacked  and  overwhelmed.  Augereau 
and  Massena,  leaving  merely  rear-guards  at  Borghetto 
and  Peschiera,  now  marched  also  upon  Brescia.  The 
whole  force  of  Quasdanovich  must  inevitably  have 
been  ruined  by  these  combinations  had  he  stood  his 
ground  ;  but  by  this  time  the  celerity  of  Napoleon  had 
overawed  him,  and  he  was  already  in  full  retreat  upon 
his  old  quarters  in  the  Tyrol.  Augereau  and  Massena, 
therefore,  countermarched  their  columns,  and  returned 
toward  the  Mincio. 

"  In  the  mean  time  Wurmser  had  forced  their  rear- 
guards from  their  posts,  and  flushed  with  these  suc- 
cesses, he  now  resolved  to  throw  his  whole  force  upon 
the  French,  and  resume  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  his 
communication  with  the  scattered  column  of  Quasda- 
novich. He  was  so  fortunate  as  to  defeat  a  French  di- 
vision at  Lonato,  and  to  occupy  that  town.  But  this 
new  su-ccess  was  fatal  to  him.  In  the  exultation  of  vic- 
tory he  extended  his  line  too  much  toward  the  right  ; 
and  this  over-anxiety  to  open  the  communication  with 
Quasdanovich  had  the  effect  of  so  weakening  his  cen- 
ter, that  Massena,  boldly  and  skilfully  seizing  the  op- 
portunity, poured  two  strong  columns  on  Lonato  and 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  55 

regained  the  position  ;  whereon  the  Austrian,  perceiv- 
ing that  his  army  was  cut  in  two,  was  thrown  into  utter 
confusion.  Some  of  his  troops,  marching  to  the  right, 
were  met  by  those  of  the  French  wlio  liad  already  de- 
feated Qnasdanovicli  in  that  quarter,  and  obliged  to 
surrender  :  the  most  retreated  in  great  disorder.  At 
Castiglioue  alone  a  brave  stand  was  made ;  but  this 
position  was  at  length  forced  by  Augereau.  Such  was 
the  battle  of  Lonato.  Thenceforth  nothing  could  sur- 
pass the  discomfiture  and  disarray  of  the  Austrians. 
They  fled  in  all  directions  upon  the  Mincio,  where 
Wurmser  himself,  meanwhile,  had  been  employed  in 
revictualing  Mantua. 

"  A  mere  accident  had  once  almost  saved  them.  One 
of  the  many  defeated  divisions  of  the  army,  wandering 
about  in  anxiety  to  find  some  means  of  reaching  the 
Mincio,  came  suddenly  on  Lonato,  the  scene  of  the 
late  battle,  at  a  moment  when  Napoleon  was  there  with 
only  his  staff  and  guards  about  him.  He  knew  not 
that  any  considerable  body  of  Austrians  remained  to- 
gether in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  but  for  his  presence 
of  mind  must  have  been  their  prisoner.  The  Austrian 
had  not  the  skill  to  profit  by  what  fortune  threw  in  his 
way ;  his  enemy  was  able  to  turn  even  a  blunder  into 
an  advantage.  The  officer  sent  to  demand  the  surren- 
der of  the  town  was  brought  blindfolded,  as  is  the  cus- 
tom, to  his  headquarters  ;  Bonaparte,  by  a  secret  sign, 
caused  his  whole  staff  to  draw  up  around  him,  and 
when  the  bandage  was  removed  from  the  messenger's 
eyes,  saluted  him  thus  :  '  AVliat  means  this  insolence  ? 
Do  you  beard  the  French  general  in  the  middle  of  his 
army  ?'  The  German  recognized  the  person  of  Na- 
poleon, and  retreated  stammering  and  blushing.  Ho 
assured  his  commander  that  Lonato  was  occupied  by 
the  French  in  numbers  that  made  resistance  impossi- 


56  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ble  ;  four  thousand  men  laid  down  their  arms  ;  and 
then  discovered,  that  if  they  had  used  them,  nothing 
could  have  prevented  Napoleon  from  being  their  prize. 

"  Wurmser  collected  together  the  whole  of  his  remain- 
ing force,  and  advanced  to  meet  the  conqueror.  He, 
meanwhile,  had  himself  determined  on  the  assault,  and 
was  hastening  to  the  encounter.  They  met  between 
Lonato  and  Castiglione.  Wurmser  was  totally  defeat- 
ed, and  narrowly  escaped  being  a  prisoner  ;  nor  did  he 
without  great  difficulty  regain  Trent  and  Roveredo, 
those  frontier  joositions  from  which  his  noble  army  had 
so  recently  descended  with  all  the  confidence  of  con- 
querors. In  this  disastrous  campaign  the  Austrians 
lost  forty  thousand  men  ;  Bonaparte  probably  under- 
stated his  own  loss  at  seven  thousand.  During  the 
seven  days  which  the  campaign  occupied,  he  never 
took  off  his  boots,  nor  slept  except  by  starts.  The  ex- 
ertions which  so  rapidly  achieved  this  signal  triumph 
were  such  as  to  demand  some  repose  ;  yet  Napoleon 
did  not  pause  until  he  saw  Mantua  once  more  com- 
pletely invested.  The  reinforcement  and  revictualing 
of  that  garrison  were  all  that  Wurmser  could  show,  in 
requital  of  his  lost  artillery,  stores,  and  forty  thousand 
men." 

Napoleon  was  fond  of  incidents  that  tested  or  de- 
veloped character.  Not  a  few  officers  in  his  army 
owed  their  elevation  to  events  which  occurred,  natu- 
rally enough,  among  the  varieties  of  life  in  the  camp 
and  field  ;  but  to  his  observant  eye,  revealed  the 
character  and  capacity  of  the  men.  One  night  he  went 
the  rounds  of  the  sentinels  in  disguise,  to  see  if  they 
were  acting  with  fidelity  in  the  hour  of  peril.  Encoun- 
tering a  soldier,  whose  post  was  at  the  junction  of  two 
roads,  he  was  ordered  back  at  the  point  of  the  ba3'onet. 
Napoleon  replied,  "  I  am  a  general  officer  going  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  57 

rounds  to  ascertain  if  all  is  safe."  *•'  I  care  not/'  said 
the  sentinel,  ''  my  commands  are  to  let  no  one  go  by, 
and  if  you  were  the  little  corporal  himself,  you  should 
not  pass."  Napoleon  retired,  and  soon  after  gave  tlie 
faithful  soldier  an  officer's  epaulet. 

He  wrote  a  letter  about  this  date  to  Joseph,  which 
is  a  brief  outline  of  his  position,  an  evidence  of  an 
interest  still  lingering  around  the  place  of  his  birth,  to 
which  he  had  despatched  a  force,  to  aid  in  the  struggle 
against  English  dominion. 

''  I  have  your  letter  of  the  30th,  without  any  details 
from  Corsica.  You  will  find  with  this  letter  my  answer 
to  one  from  the  administrators  of  the  Department  du 
Liamone.  Such  being  the  law,  the  organization  of  the 
two  departments  must  be  retained. 

"  We  have  made  peace  with  Xaples,  and  a  treaty  with 
Genoa,  and  we  are  going  to  enter  into  an  alliance,  of- 
fensive and  defensive,  with  Prussia. 

"  Things  are  somewhat  better  on  the  Rhine.  Moreau 
has  gained  a  victory.  Kleber  replaces  Beurnonville. 
All  looks  well. 

"I  am  anxious  for  regular  news  from  Corsica,  and  to 
know  the  state  of  Ajaccio.  My  health  is  fair  ;  noth- 
ing new  in  the  army." 

In  the  beginning  of  September  the  Austrian  troops 
were  again  moving  toward  Mantua.  Wurmser,  with 
national  defiance  ab  disaster,  determined  to  save  Man- 
tua, and  reconquer  Lombardy. 

He  had  now  an  army  of  thirty  thousand  ;  and  David- 
owich  at  Eoveredo,  twenty  thousand  more,  to  protect 
the  Tyrol.  Of  these,  twenty  thousand  Avere  fresh 
troops.  Napoleon  was  delighted  with  this  division  of 
an  immense  force,  a  fact,  to  his  comprehensive  view  of 
the  campaign,  portending  another  ruinous  defeat.     And 


5S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  HOXAPARTE. 

no  sooner  had  Wurniscr  reached  Bassauo,  entirely 
separated  from  Davidowich,  than  he  turned  his  force 
with  the  celerity  of  a  tempest  upon  Roveredo.  The 
intreiichments  of  the  enemy  were  strong,  and  in  their 
rear  stood  the  castle  of  Galliano,  on  the  brow  of  a  preci- 
pice leaning  over  the  Adige,  whose  waters  flowed 
between  shattered  mountains  ;  a  fortress  which  seemed 
to  scorn  the  roar  of  artillery,  and  the  clash  of  arms. 
September  4th,  with  burning  ardor,  the  French  rushed 
upon  the  foe.  The  Austrians  wavered  and  fell  back  ; 
height  after  height  was  swept  by  the  impetuous  battal- 
ions, until  the  victorious  tricolor  waved  over  the  ruins, 
the  dying  and  the  dead.  Fifteen  field-pieces,  and 
seven  thousand  prisoners,  were  iu  the  hands  of  the 
French.  The  victory,  for  rapidity  and  precision  in  the 
assault,  the  fearless  impetuosity  of  the  soldiers,  and  the 
decisive  results,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  in  Napo- 
leon's career,  and  was  so  regarded  by  him. 

The  following  day  he  marched  into  Trent.  Issuing 
a  proclamation  to  the  Tyrolese,  declaring  himself  their 
friend,  who  came  to  lift  from  their  necks  the  heavy 
yoke  of  Austrian  oppression,  he  pressed  forward 
through  the  defiles  of  Brenta,  to  fall  upon  Wurmser's 
division.  This  general  had  heard  with  dismay  of 
Davidowich's  overthrow,  but  prepared  with  thirty 
thousand  men  to  meet  Napoleon  with  twenty  thousand 
elated  troops,  who  was  impatient  to  deal  a  final  blow 
upon  the  scattered  army  of  Austria.  A  march  of  sixty 
miles,  from  Trent  to  Primolano,  was  accomplished  in 
the  incredibly  short'  period  of  two  days.  At  dawn  of 
day,  AA^u miser  was  aroused  by  Napoleon's  cannon,  and 
on  September  8th,  was  fought  the  bloody  battle  of 
Bassauo.  Six  thousand  Austrians  laid  down  their 
arms  ;  Quasdanovich  escaped  with  four  thousand 
soldiers  to  Friuli ;  while  AVurraser  with  but  sixteen 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  59 

thousand  of  his  grand  army,  retreated  toward  Man- 
tua, the  stronghold  of  security  and  hope,  till  Vienna 
might  send  reinforcements  for  their  deliverance. 

"  To  reach  that  fortress  it  was  necessary  to  force  a 
passage  somewhere  on  the  Adige  ;  and  the  Austrian, 
especially  as  he  had  lost  all  his  pontoons,  would  have 
had  great  difficulty  in  doing  so,  but  for  a  mistake  ou 
the  part  of  the  French  commander  at  Legnago,  who, 
conceiving  the  attempt  was  to  be  made  at  Verona, 
marched  to  reinforce  the  corps  stationed  there,  and  so 
left  his  own  position  unguarded.  Wurmser,  taking 
advantage  of  this,  passed  with  his  army  at  Legnago, 
and  after  a  series  of  bloody  skirmishes,  in  which  for- 
tune divided  her  favors  pretty  equally,  at  length  was 
enabled  to  throw  himself  into  Mantua.  Napoleon 
made  another  narrow  escape,  in  one. of  these  skirmishes, 
at  Areola.  He  was  surrounded  for  a  moment,  and  had 
just  galloped  off,  when  AVurmser,  coming  up,  and  learn- 
ing that  the  prize  was  so  near,  gave  particular  direc- 
tions to  bring  him  in  alive  ! '' 

Napoleon's  impromptu  rejslies,  when  they  were  de- 
manded, and  action  when  needed,  w^ere  so  timely  and 
often  sublime,  that  the  camp  continually  rang  with  the 
enthusiastic  repetition  of  them.  When  at  this  period 
a  soldier  in  the  discontented  ranks  of  the  scantily 
supplied  arm}^,  pointing  to  his  tattered  apparel,  said, 
"  Notwithstanding  our  victories  we  are  clothed  with 
rags;"  Napoleon  answered,  "You  forget,  my  brave 
friend,  that  with  a  new  coat,  your  honorable  scars 
would  no  longer  be  visible."  These  words  satisfied  the 
man,  and  went  from  rank  to  rank  of  his  comrades. 
Another  incident  after  the  battle  of  Bassano,  is  re- 
lated, which  illustrated  the  moral  defects  in  Napoleon's 
character,  and  the  cool  contempt  of  life,  with  all  the 
manly  sympathies  and  impulses  of  his  nature. 


60  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Riding  over  the  ensanguined  plain  amid  heaps  of 
the  ghastly  sleepers,  beneath  the  moonlight  of  the  mid- 
night hour,  he  was  startled  by  the  piteous  howls  of  a 
dog,  watching  the  bloody  corpse  of  his  master.  He 
silently  paused  on  his  steed,  and  his  meditations  he 
afterward  thus  expressed  :  "I  know  not  how  it  was, 
but  no  incident  upon  any  field  of  battle  ever  produced 
so  deep  an  impression  upon  my  feelings.  This  man, 
thought  1,  must  have  had  among  his  comrades  friends, 
yet  here  he  lies  forsaken  by  all  except  his  faithful  dog. 
What  a  strange  being  is  man  !  How  mysterious  are 
his  impressions !  I  had,  without  emotion,  ordered 
battles  which  had  decided  the  fate  of  armies.  I  had, 
with  tearless  eye,  beheld  the  execution  of  these  orders, 
in  which  thousands  of  my  countrymen  were  slain,  and 
yet  here  my  sympathies  were  most  deeply  and  resist- 
lessly  moved  by  the  mournful  howling  of  a  dog  I  Cer- 
tainly at  that  moment  I  should  have  been  unable  to 
refuse  any  request  of  a  suppliant  enemy." 

Napoleon  now  wrote  most  appealingly  to  the  Direc- 
tory for  promised  recruits.  *' Troops,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  or  Italy  is  lost  ! "  He  at  the  same  time  animated 
his  battalions,  and  prepared  for  conflict  with  the  calm 
confidence  of  easy  victory.  "After  making  himself 
master  of  some  scattered  corps  which  had  not  been 
successful  in  keeping  up  with  AYurmser,  he  reappeared 
once  more  before  Mantua.  The  battle  of  St.  George — 
BO  called  from  one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  city — was 
fought  on  the  13th  of  September  ;  and  after  a  prodig- 
ious slaughter,  the  French  remained  in  possession  of 
all  the  causeways  ;  so  that  the  blockade  of  the  city 
and  fortress  was  thenceforth  complete.  The  garrison, 
when  Wurmser  shut  himself  up,  amounted  to  twenty- 
six  thousand  :  ere  October  was  far  advanced,  the  pes- 
tilential air  of  the  place,  and  the  scarcity  and  badness 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  61 

of  provisions  had  filled  his  hospitals,  and  left  him 
hardly  half  the  number  in  fighting  condition.  The 
misery  of  the  besieged  town  was  extreme  ;  and  if 
Austria  meant  to  rescue  Wurmser,  there  was  no  time 
to  be  lost." 

With  characteristic  energy,  another,  the  fourth  great 
army  was  raised,  and  Alvinzi,  an  experienced  and  able 
general,  placed  at  its  head.  With  only  twelve  new 
battalions.  Napoleon  prepared  to  meet  these  sixty 
thousand  troops,  fresh  from  barracks  and  quiet  homes. 
General  Vaubois  at  Trent,  and  Massena  at  Bassano, 
were  compelled  to  yield  to  the  advancing  enemy. 
Napoleon  marched  to  the  aid  of  Massena,  and  met  the 
Austrians  at  Vicenza  in  a  short,  fierce,  and  indecisive 
battle  ;  both  armies  claimed  the  victory.  The  con- 
dition of  the  French  was  becoming  critical. 

The  extensive  region  between  Brenta  and  the  Adige 
was  in  the  hands  of  Alvinzi,  and  Mantua  was  still  the 
mighty  bulwark  of  defense.  Napoleon  saw  the  neces- 
sity of  rousing  at  once  the  courage  of  the  defeated 
troops  of  Vaubois,  and  guard  against  a  future  disaster 
of  a  similar  kind.  He  api^eared  before  them  surround- 
ed by  his  staff,  with  imposing  severity  of  command, 
and  thus  addressed  them  :  '•  Soldiers  !  I  am  displeased 
with  you.  You  have  evinced  neither  discipline  nor 
valor.  You  have  allowed  yourselves  to  be  driven  from 
positions  where  a  handful  of  resolute  men  might  have 
arrested  an  army.  You  are  no  longer  French  soldiers  ! 
Chief  of  the  staff,  cause  it  to  be  written  on  their  stand- 
ards, '  ^iey  are  no  longer  of  the  army  of  Italy  I*'* 
This  rebuke  had  its  intended  effect.  The  proudest 
veterans  wept,  and  begged  for  another  opportunity  to 
test  their  heroism.  They  were  restored  to  favor,  and 
became  his  most  daring  soldiers.  Napoleon  now 
directed  his  forces  toward  the  heights  of  Caldiero, 


62  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

where  Alvinzi  was  intrenched,  designing  to  fall  like 
a  descending  bolt  npon  his  division  before  it  conld  unite 
with  the  troops  of  Davidowicii. 

The  armies  met.  A  storm  of  rain,  succeeded  by 
wind  and  sleet,  beat  upon  the  desperate  combatants, 
through  which  was  poured  the  fire-sheet  and  leaden  hail 
of  battle.  On  the  furrowed  earth,  reddened  with  blood, 
soon  lay  four  thousand  of  the  dying  and  dead,  when 
without  decisive  victory,  the  exhausted  foes  retired 
from  the  arena  of  conflict.  Napoleon,  with  disheart- 
ened ranks,  fell  back  to  Verona.  Nearly  forty  thou- 
sand men  were  now  sweeping  their  extending  lines 
around  the  French,  numbering  not  more  than  fifteen 
thousand.  A  bold  and  immediate  blow  must  be  given, 
or  the  republican  army  would  disappear  like  the  snow 
that  melted  along  their  path.  Leaving  fifteen  hun- 
dred men  to  protect  Verona,  he  emerged  at  dead  of 
night  from  its  walls,  and  with  no  intelligence  breathed 
to  the  anxious  troops  of  his  purpose,  he  moved  toward 
Mantua,  where  the  blockade  continued,  as  if  to  aban- 
don the  unequal  strife.  But  suddenly  he  wheeled  into 
a  road  leading  toward  the  Adige,  and  crossed  directly 
in  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  Between  here  and  Areola, 
and  around  it,  lay  the  wide  morasses,  across  which  nar- 
row dykes  only  furnished  highways.  Areola  must  be 
reached  and  taken  before  he  could  rush  between  the 
great  divisions  of  the  Austrian  army,  and  strike  fatally 
with  his  comparatively  inferior  force.  By  daybreak, 
in  three  columns  ho  charged  upon  the  same  number  of 
dykes  leading  to  Areola.  Like  the  struggling  light  of 
morning,  the  truth  broke  upon  the  minds  of  the  aston- 
ished Austrians,  that  Napoleon  with  his  tried  troops 
was  again  upon  them.  Augereau  first  stood  upon  the 
narrow  bridge  on  which  they  must  pass.  The  deadly 
tempest  of  iron  and  lead  drove  his  brave  column  back. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  63 

Napoleon  saw  that,  if  ever,  Areola  must  be  taken  be- 
fore Alviuzi  arrived  ;  and  seizing  a  standard,  he  dashed 
on  to  the  bridge,  exclaiming,  **  Conquerors  of  Lodi  ! 
follow  your  general  ! ''  The  heroic  grenadiers  swept 
into  the  hurricane  of  battle,  and  again  gave  way  ;  Na- 
poleon was  himself  carried  on  the  tide  of  combat  to  the 
very  feet  of  the  Austrians  to  the  morass,  and  well-nigh 
smothered,  while  the  soldiers  of  the  enemy  closed  be- 
tween him  and  his  troops.  "^Forward  to  save  your 
general  I"  rang  over  the  tumult,  and  like  the  falling 
Hood  of  a  cataract,  the  columns  under  the  tricolor, 
dashed  over  the  trembling  bridge,  rescued  their  com- 
mander, and  carried  the  passage.  This  was  the  battle 
and  victory  of  Areola. 

''  This  movement  revived  in  the  Austrian  lines  their 
terror  for  the  name  of  Bonaparte  ;  and  Alvinzi  saw 
that  no  time  was  to  be  lost  if  he  meant  to  preserve  his 
communication  with  Davidowich.  He  abandoned  Cal- 
diero,  and  gaining  the  open  country  behind  Areola, 
robbed  his  enemy  for  the  moment  of  the  advantage 
which  his  skill  had  gained.  Napoleon,  perceiving  that 
Areola  was  no  longer  in  the  rear  of  his  enemy,  but  in 
his  front,  and  fearful  lest  Vaubois  might  be  over- 
whelmed by  Davidowich,  while  Alvinzi  remained  thus 
between  him  and  the  Brenta,  evacuated  Areola,  and 
retreated  to  Ronco. 

"Next  morning,  having  ascertained  that  Davidowich 
had  not  been  engaged  with  Vaubois,  Napoleon  once 
more  advanced  upon  Areola.  The  place  was  defended 
bravely,  and  again  it  was  carried.  But  this  second 
battle  of  Areola  proved  no  more  decisive  than  the  first  ; 
for  Alvinzi  still  contrived  to  maintain  his  main  force 
unbroken  in  the  difficult  country  behind ;  and  Bona- 
parte once  more  retreated  to  Eonco. 
■  ^'  The  third  day  was  decisive.     On  this  occasion  also 


64  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

he  carried  Areola  ;  and,  by  employing  two  stratagems, 
was  enabled  to  make  his  victory  effectual.  Au  ambus- 
cade, planted  among  some  willows,  suddenly  opened 
fire  on  a  column  of  Croats,  threw  them  into  confusion, 
and,  rushing  from  the  concealment,  crushed  them 
down  in  the  opposite  bog,  where  most  of  them  died. 
Napoleon  was  anxious  to  follow  up  this  success  by 
charging  the  Austrian  main  body  on  the  firm  ground 
behind  the  marshes.  But  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  reach 
them  there.  He  had,  in  various  quarters,  portable 
bridges  ready  for  crossing  the  ditches  and  canals  ;  but 
the  enemy  stood  in  good  order,  and  three  days'  hard 
fighting  had  nearly  exhausted  his  own  men.  In  one  of 
his  conversations  at  St.  Helena,  he  thus  told  the  story. 
*  At  Areola,  I  gained  the  battle  with  twenty-five  horse- 
men. I  perceived  the  critical  moment  of  lassitude  in 
either  army — when  the  oldest  and  bravest  would  have 
been  glad  to  be  in  their  tents.  All  my  men  had  been 
engaged.  Three  times  I  had  been  obliged  to  re-estab- 
lish the  battle.  There  remained  to  me  but  some  twenty- 
five  guides.  I  sent  them  round  on  the  flank  of  the 
enemy  with  three  trumj)ets,  bidding  them  blow  loud 
and  charge  furiously.  Here  is  the  French  cavalry,  was 
the  cry  ;  and  they  took  to  flight.'  The  Austrians 
doubted  not  that  Murat  and  all  the  horse  had  forced  a 
way  through  the  bogs  ;  and  at  that  moment  Bonaparte 
commanding  a  general  assault  in  front,  the  confusion 
became  hopeless.  Alvinzi  retreated  finally,  thougli  in 
decent  order,  upon  Montebello. 

''  In  these  three  days  Bonaparte  lost  eight  thousand 
men  ;  the  slaughter  among  his  opponents  must  have 
been  terrible.  Once  more  the  rapid  combinations  of 
Napoleon  had  rendered  all  the  efforts  of  the  Austrian 
cabinet  abortive.  For  two  montlis  after  the  last  day 
of  Areola,  he  remained  the  undisturbed  master  of  Lom- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  C,T> 

bardy.  All  that  his  enemy  could  show,,  iu  set-off  for 
the  slaughter  and  discomfiture  of  Alvinzi's  campaign, 
was  that  they  retained  possession  of  Bassano  and  Trent, 
thus  interrupting  Bonaparte's  access  to  the  Tyrol,  and 
Germany.  This  advantage  was  not  trivial  ;  hut  it  had 
been  dearly  bonght. 

**  A  fourth  army  had  been  baffled;  but  the  resolu- 
tion of  the  imperial  court  was  indomitable,  and  new 
levies  were  diligently  forwarded  to  reinforce  Alvinzi. 
Once  more  (January  7,  179T)  the  marshal  found  him- 
self at  the  head  of  sixty  thousand  ;  once  more  his  su- 
periority over  Napoleon's  muster-roll  was  enormous  ; 
and  once  more  he  descended  from  the  mountains  with 
the  hope  of  relieving  Wurmser  and  reconquering  Lom- 
bardy.  The  fifth  act  of  the  tragedy  was  yet  to  be  j^er- 
formed. 

"  We  may  here  jDause,  to  notice  some  civil  events  of 
importance  which  occurred  ere  Alvinzi  made  his  final 
descent.  The  success  of  the  French  naturally  gave 
new  vigor  to  the  Italian  party  who,  chiefly  in  the  large 
towns,  were  hostile  to  Austria,  and  desirous  to  settle 
their  own  government  on  the  republican  model.  Na- 
poleon had  by  this  time  come  to  be  anything  but  a 
Jacobin  in  his  political  sentiments  ;  his  habits  of  com- 
mand ;  his  experience  of  the  narrow  and  ignorant 
management  of  the  Directory  ;  his  personal  intercourse 
with  the  ministers  of  sovereign  powers  ;  his  sense,  daily 
strengthened  by  events,  that  whatever  good  was  done 
in  Italy  was  owing  to  his  own  skill  and  the  devotion 
of  his  army — all  these  circumstances  conspired  to  make 
him  respect  himself  and  contemn  the  government, 
almost  in  despite  of  which  he  had  conquered  kingdoms 
for  France.  He  therefore  regarded  now  with  little 
sympathy  the  aspirations  after  republican  organi- 
zation, which  he  had  himself  originally  stimulated 
5 


66  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

among  the  northern  Italians.  He  knew,  however, 
that  the  Directory  had,  by  absurd  and  extravagant  de- 
mands, provoked  the  Pope  to  break  off  the  treaty  of 
Bologna,  and  to  raise  his  army  to  the  number  of  forty 
thousand — that  Naples  had  every  disposition  to  back 
his  holiness  with  tliirty  thousand  soldiers,  provided 
any  reverse  should  befall  the  French  in  Lombardy — 
and,  finally,  that  Alvinzi  was  rapidly  preparing  for 
another  march,  with  numbers  infinitely  superior  to 
what  he  could  himself  extort  from  the  government  of 
Paris;*  and  considering  these  circumstances,  he  felt 
liimself  compelled  to  seek  strength  by  gratifying  his 
Italian  friends.  Two  republics  accordingly  were 
organized ;  the  Cispadane  and  the  Transpadane — 
handmaids  rather  than  sisters  of  the  great  French  de- 
mocracy. These  events  took  place  during  the  period  of 
military  inaction  which  followed  the  victories  of  Areola. 
Tlie  new  republics  hastened  to  repay  Napoleon's  favor 
by  raising  troojDS,  and  placed  at  his  disposal  a  force 
which  he  considered  as  sufficient  to  keep  the  papal 
army  in  check  during  the  expected  renewal  of  the  Aus- 
trian campaign." 

He  wrote  to  his  brother,  who  was  in  Corsica,  revealing 
that  wonderful  capacity  which  embraced,  without  ap- 
parent effort  or  confusion,  the  most  magnificent  schemes 
of  conquest,  and  the  minutest  details  of  domestic  ar- 
rangement ;  the  improvement  of  the  dwelling  in  which 
he  passed  his  boyhood. 

NAPOLEON"  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Milan,  December  10,  1796. 

"  We  have  made  peace  with  Parma.  I  expect  every 
day  to   hear   that  you  are  the  minister  there.     Come 

*  Bonaparte,  to  replace  all  his  losses  In  the  last  two  campaigns,  had  re- 
ceived only  seven  thousand  recruits. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  67 

back  as  soon  as  3'ou  can.  'Mix  yourself  up  little,  or  not 
at  all,  with  Corsican  politics.  Arrange  our  domestic 
affairs.  Let  our  house  be  in  a  habitable  state,  such  as 
it  was,  adding  to  it  the  apartment  of  Ignazio,  and  do 
little  things  that  are  necessary  to  improve  the  street. 

"  I  expect  Fesch  and  Paulette  at  Milan  in  a  fortnight. 
As  you  return  by  Milan,  settle  the  San-Miniato*  busi- 
ness.    Miot  goes  to  Turin  ;  Cacault  to  Florence." 

"With  the  dawn  of  a  new  year  (1T97)  Alvinzi  was 
mustering  a  fifth  army  for  another  campaign  against 
the  French.  The  gentry  and  the  peasantry  emulated 
each  other  in  enthusiastic  devotion  to  the  common 
cause,  and  even  the  women  wrought  banners,  and  ani- 
mated the  troops  in  their  preparation  for  the  harvest 
of  death.  NajDoleon,  to  prevent  the  enlistment  of  the 
Tyrolese,  proclaimed  that  every  man  found  in  arms 
should  be  shot.  The  haughty  Austrian  replied  that  for 
every  slain  peasant  he  would  hang  a  French  prisoner  of 
Avar.  These  murderous  threats  were  ended  in  Xapo- 
leon's  assurance  to  Alvinzi,  that  the  execution  of  a 
Frenchman  would  secure  the  gibbeting  of  his  nephew, 
who  had  been  taken  captive. 

The  Austrian  general  sent  a  spy  toward  Mantua,  to 
convey  if  possible  to  Wurmser  his  proximity,  and  readi- 
ness to  afford  relief.  The  peasant  wandered  over  the 
country  in  the  plainest  guise;  but  nothing  escaped  N'apo- 
leon's  vigilance.  He  was  arrested  and  brought  before 
the  commander-in-chief,  when  in  alarm  he  confessed 
that  the  ball  of  wax  containing  the  message  was  in  his 
stomach  ;  he  had  swallowed  it.  The  means  were  im- 
mediately applied  to  recover  the  despatch,  and  soon  the 
surrender  was  made,  and  Napoleon  possessed  of  the  in- 
telligence which  decided  his  line  of  march. 

•  Bonaparte  property. 


68  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Upon  the  tempestuous  12tli  of  January,  at  nightfall, 
the  tidings  came  to  the  French  camp,  that  Alvinzi  was 
moving  down  upon  their  battalions  from  the  Tyrol, 
in  two  different  directions.  Napoleon  was  at  Verona 
watching  the  movements  ;  Joubert  was  stationed  at 
Rivoli,  and  Augereau's  division  ordered  to  look  after 
Provera,  whose  troops  were  following  the  Brenta,  to 
form  a  junction  with  the  force  before  the  walls  of 
Mantua.  The  plan  was  to  unite  the  Austrian  strength 
by  separate  inarches,  in  the  rescue  of  AVurmser,  which, 
if  successful,  would  have  rendered  the  position  of  the 
French  one  of  great  peril.  On  the  13th,  word  was 
sent  to  Napoleon  tliat  Joubert  had  with  difficulty  re- 
sisted the  superior  force  which  was  wasting  his  ranks. 
With  another  astonishingly  rapid  movement.  Napoleon 
reached,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  heights  of 
Rivoli,  and  in  the  clear,  still  moonlight,  surveyed  the 
slumbering  host,  many  of  whom  were  enjoying  their 
last  repose. 

'*  Napoleon's  keen  eye,  observing  the  position  of  the 
five  encampments  below,  penetrated  the  secret  of  Al- 
vinzi ;  namely,  that  his  artillery  could  not  yet  have 
arrived,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  occupied  ground 
so  distant  from  the  object  of  attack.  Pie  concluded 
that  the  Austrian  did  not  mean  to  make  his  grand 
assault  very  early  in  the  morning,  and  resolved  to  force 
him  to  anticipate  that  movement.  For  this  purpose, 
he  took  all  possible  pains  to  conceal  his  own  arrival  ; 
and  prolonged,  by  a  series  of  jDctty  maneuvers,  the 
enemy's  belief  that  he  had  to  do  with  a  mere  outpost 
of  the  French.  Alvinzi  swallowed  the  deceit  ;  and 
instead  of  advancing  on  some  great  and  well-arranged 
system,  suffered  his  several  columns  to  endeavor  to 
force  the  heights  by  insulated  movements,  whicli  the 
real  strength  of  Napoleon  easily  enabled  him  to  baffle. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  69 

It  is  true  tliut  at  one  moment  the  bravery  of  the  Ger- 
mans had  nearly  overthrown  the  French  on  a  point  of 
pre-eminent  importance  ;  but  Napoleon  himself,  gallop- 
ing to  the  spot,  roused  by  his  voice  and  action  the  di- 
vision of  Massena,  who,  having  marched  all  niglit,  had 
lain  down  to  rest  in  the  extreme  of  weariness,  and 
seconded  by  them  and  their  gallant  general,  swept  every- 
thing before  him.  The  French  artillery  was  in  posi- 
tion ;  the  Austrian  (according  to  Napoleon's  shrewd 
guess)  had  not  yet  come  up,  and  this  circumstance  de- 
cided the  fortune  of  the  day.  The  cannonade  from  the 
heights,  backed  by  successive  charges  of  horse  and  foot, 
rendered  every  attempt  to  storm  tlie  summit  abortive  ; 
and  the  main  body  of  the  imperialists  was  already  in 
confusion,  and,  indeed,  in  flight,  ere  one  of  their  divis- 
ions, which  had  been  sent  round  to  outflank  Bonaparte, 
and  take  higher  ground  in  his  rear,  was  able  to  execute 
its  errand.  When,  accordingly,  Lusignan's  division 
at  length  achieved  its  destined  object — it  did  so,  not  to 
complete  the  misery  of  a  routed,  but  to  swell  the  prey  of 
a  victorious,  enemy.  Instead  of  cutting  ofl;  the  retreat 
of  Joubert,  Lusignan  found  himself  insulated  from  Al- 
vinzi,  and  forced  to  lay  down  his  arms  to  Bonaparte. 
*  Here  was  a  good  plan,'  said  Napoleon,  '  but  these 
Austrians  are  not  apt  to  calculate  the  value  of  minutes.* 
Ilad  Lusignan  gained  the  rear  of  the  French  an  hour 
earlier,  while  the  contest  was  still  hot  in  front  of  the 
heights  of  Eivoli,  he  might  have  made  the  14th  of  Jan- 
uary one  of  the  darkest,  instead  of  one  of  the  bright- 
est, days  in  the  military  chronicles  of  Naj)oleon. 

"  He,  who  in  the  course  of  this  trying  day  had  had 
three  horses  shot  under  him,  hardly  waited  to  see  Lu- 
signan surrender,  and  to  intrust  his  friends,  Massena, 
Murat,  and  Joubert,  with  the  task  of  pursuing  the  fly- 
ing  columns  of  Alviuzi.     He  had  heard,  during  the 


70  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

battle^  that  Provera  had  forced  his  way  to  the  Lago  di- 
Gnarda,  and  was  already,  by  means  of  bouLs,  in  com- 
mnnication  with  Mantua.  The  force  of  Augereaa 
having  proved  insufficient  to  oppose  the  march  of  the 
imperialists'  second  column,  it  was  high  time  that  Na- 
poleon himself  should  hurry  with  reinforcements  to  the 
lower  Adige,  and  prevent  AVurmser  from  either  hous- 
ing Provera,  or  joining  him  in  the  open  field,  and  so 
effecting  the  escape  of  his  own  still  formidable  garrison, 
whether  to  the  Tyrol  or  the  Eomagna. 

"  Having  marched  all  night  and  all  next  day,  Na- 
poleon reached  the  vicinity  of  Mantua  late  on  the  15th. 
He  found  the  enemy  strongly  posted,  and  Serrurier's 
situation  highly  critical.  A  regiment  of  Provera's 
hussars  had  but  a  few  hours  before  nearly  established 
themselves  in  the  suburb  of  St.  George.  This  danger 
had  been  avoided,  but  the  utmost  vigilance  was  nec- 
essary. The  French  general  himself  passed  the  night 
in  walking  about  the  outposts,  so  great  was  his 
anxiety. 

"  At  one  of  these  he  found  a  grenadier  asleep  by  the 
root  of  a  tree  ;  and  taking  his  gun,  without  wakening 
him,  performed  a  sentinel's  duty  in  his  place  for  about 
half  an  hour;  when  the  man,  starting  from  his  slumbers, 
j)erceived  with  terror  and  despair  the  countenance  and 
occupation  of  his  general.  He  fell  on  his  knees  before 
him.  *My  friend,'  said  Napoleon,  'here  is  your 
musket.  You  had  fought  hard,  and  marched  long,  and 
your  sleep  is  excusable  ;  but  a  moment's  inattention 
might  at  present  ruin  the  army.  I  happened  to  be 
awake,  and  have  held  your  post  for  you.  You  will  bo 
more  careful  anotlier  time.' 

"It  is  needless  to  say  how  tlie  devotion  of  his  men 
was  nourished  by  such  anecdotes  as  these  flying  ever 
and  anou  from  column  to    column.     Next  morning 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  ^1 

tliere  ensued  a  hot  skirmisli,  recorded  as  the  battle  of 
.St.  George.  Provera  was  compelled  to  retreat  ;  and 
Wurmser,  who  had  sallied  out  and  seized  the  causeway 
and  citadel  of  La  Favorita,  was  fain  to  retreat  within 
his  old  walls, in  consequence  of  a  desperate  assault  headed 
by  Napoleon  in  person. 

"  Provera  now  found  himself  entirely  cut  off  from 
Alvinzi,  and  surrounded  with  the  army  of  the  French. 
He  and  five  thousand  men  laid  down  their  arms. 
Various  bodies  of  the  Austrian  force,  scattered  over  the 
country  between  the  Adige  and  the  Brenta,  followed 
the  example  ;  and  the  brave  Wurmser,  whose  provi- 
sions were  by  this  time  exhausted,  found  himself  at 
length  under  the  necessity  of  sending  an  offer  of  capit- 
ulation." 

The  Austrian  general  was  now  in  extremity.  His 
garrison  Avas  reduced  one  half,  the  salted  horseflesh 
gone,  and  famine  stalSed  before  his  anxious  mind. 
Klenau,  the  bearer  of  despatches,  entered  the  tent  of 
General  Serrurier,  and  with  a  flourish  of  deceptive 
words,  conveyed  tlie  impression  that  Wurmser  could 
hold  the  citadel  for  several  days  longer,  but  would  yield 
upon  honorable  conditions  of  surrender.  Napoleon 
started  up  from  a  corner  of  the  tent,  and  presenting 
tlirough  the  folds  of  his  cloak,  his  calm  face  and  pierc- 
ing eye,  glanced  upon  the  aid-de-camj^,  and  then  rap- 
idly wrote  a  few  lines,  which  he  handed  to  the  astonished 
messenger,  saying,  "  These  are  the  terms  to  which  your 
general's  bravery  entitles  him.  He  may  have  them  to- 
day ;  a  week,  a  mouth  hence,  he  shall  have  no  worse. 
Meantime,  tell  him  that  General  Bonaparte  is  about  to 
set  out  for  Rome.*'  February  2d,  Mantua  was  evacuated. 
Napoleon,  to  spare  the  heroic  Wurmser's  feelings,  dele- 
gated Serrurier  to  receive  the  veteran's  sword  ;  a  deli- 
cate and   beautiful   expression     of  generosity,    which 


12  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

greatly  affected  the  Austrian  commander.  Besides 
sparing  liini  the  humiliation  of  being  present  at  the  ca 
pitulation.  Napoleon  allowed  him  to  retire  with  two 
hundred  horse  and  five  hundred  men,  unmolested  to 
Austria.  When  the  Directory  remonstrated  against 
sucli  lenit}^,  he  replied  indignantly,  *'I  have  granted 
tlie  Austrian  such  terms  as  were,  in  my  Judgment,  due 
to  a  brave  and  honorable  enemy,  and  to  the  dignity  of 
the  French  republic." 

During  all  these  scenes  Napoleon's  heart  was  true  to 
Josephine,  and  he  turned  from  the  shouts  of  victory;, 
and  the  applause  of  millions,  to  M'in  the  smile  of  her 
approval.  Of  the  correspondence  which  passed  at  that 
period,  but  little  that  is  authentic  is  preserved.  Ex- 
travagant letters  are  attributed  to  him,  and  their  au- 
thenticity doubted  by  the  best  historians.  But  it  were 
not  strange  if  at  twenty-six,  with  a  distant  bride  he 
had  left  so  qnickly,  and  covered  with  glory  that  would 
bewilder  an  aged  conqueror,  he  did  pour  his  raptures 
in  language  whose  ardor  seems  now  the  fond  ravings 
of  a  happy  lunatic,  rather  than  the  utterance  of  an  in- 
tellect well  poised  as  it  was  creative  and  mighty. 

Eugene  joined  his  father-in-law,  in  the  campaign, 
and  won  distinction  for  himself,  grateful  to  Napoleon 
as  it  was  flattering  to  the  young  soldier.  This  will 
appear  in  the  subjoined  note  originally  furnished  by 
Josephine  : 

NAPOLEOI^r   TO  JOSEPHINE. 

"  My  Beloved  Friekd — My  first  laurel  is  due  to 
my  country  ;  my  second  shall  be  yours.  While  press- 
ing Alvinzi,  I  thouglit  of  France ;  when  he  was 
beaten,  I  thought  of  you.  Your  son  will  send  you  a 
scarf  surrendered  to  him  by  Colonel  Morback,  whom 
he  took  prisoner  with  his  own  hand.     You  see,  madam. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  7^ 

that  onr  Eugene  is  worthy  of  his  fatlier.  Do  not  deem 
me  altogether  undeserving  of  having  succeeded  to  tluit 
brave  and  unfortunate  general,  under  whom  I  should 
have  felt  honored  to  have  learned  to  conquer.  I  em- 
brace you. 

*'  BOITAPARTE." 

Alvinzi  thus  completely  routed,  Wurmser  and  Provera 
surrendering,  left  the  spreading  plains  and  swelling 
slopes  of  Lombardy  under  the  banner  of  the  republic, 
and  threw  around  the  name  of  Napoleon,  a  dazzling 
halo  of  premature  glory,  which,  with  comparatively 
small  abatement,  was  yet  the  merited  reward  of  un- 
exampled military  wisdom,  and  exhaustless  activity  on 
the  field  of  darius;  and  heroic  deeds. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEO:?  BOXAPABTE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Napoleon  and  the  Pope.— Venice.— Archduke  Charles.— Battle  of  Taglia- 
mento.— Incidents.— Retreat  of  Charles.— Negotiations.— Plchegru.— The 
Directory.— Treaty  of  Campo  Formio.— Court  of  Milan.— Josephine.— 
Napoleon  at  Rastadt.— He  reaches  Paris. — His  reception.— Life  at  the 
Capital.— Napoleon  and  England.— He  is  appointed  to  command  an  In- 
vasion  of  England.— He  urges  an  expedition  to  Egypt.— Embarkation.— 
Malta  taken.— Letter  to  Joseph.— He  arrives  at  Alexandria. — Addresses 
the  Army  and  the  Egyptians.— March  up  the  Nile.— The  Blamelukes.— 
Battle  of  the  Pyramids.— Cairo  taken.— Letter  to  Joseph.— Battle  of 
Aboukir. — Napoleon's  Power. — Expedition  to  the  Red  Sea. — Siege  of 
Acre.— The  Plague.— Napoleon  retreats  to  Egypt. — Scenes  in  the  March. 
— The  Turks  defeated  at  Aboukir.— Napoleon  returns  to  France. — Rea- 
sons.— The  Domestic  Sorrow.- The  Reconciliation.— The  Crisis. 

NAPOLEOisr  HOW  tnrned  his  attention  to  the  Pope, 
whose  army  of  forty  thousand  men  had  hovered  around 
the  French,  waiting  only  for  the  opportunity  to  strike 
with  effect  in  the  lioly  war  for  his  tremhUng  throne. 
The  intelligence  of  the  surrender  of  Mantua,  and  the 
routing  of  the  Austrian  troops,  whose  splendid  array  of 
two  hundred  thousand  soldiers  since  the  war  began, 
had  melted  away  before  the  republican  forces,  spread 
terror  through  the  Vatican.  But  it  was  decided  to 
offer  resistance  to  the  victorious  foe.  Pope,  cardinals, 
and  monks,  a2:)pealed  to  every  motive  of  a  religious  and 
political  nature,  to  rouse  the  zeal  and  heroism  of  the 
battalions.  In  every  hamlet  the  tocsin  tolled,  and  un- 
ceasing prayers  were  offered.  Victor,  with  four  thou- 
sand French,  and  an  equal  number  of  Italians,  ad- 
vanced toward  Imola,  where,  on  the  banks  of  the  Senio, 
were  encamped  eight  thousand  of  the  enemy.  The 
commander.  Cardinal  liui'oa,  unused  to  the  weapons 
and  rules  of  carnal  warfare,  sent  a  flag  of   truce   to 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  75 

Napoleon,  assuring  him  if  he  continued  to  advance  lie 
should  tire  upon  him — an  announcement  wliich  sent  a 
shout  of  laughter  along  the  ranks  of  the  elated  victors, 
Bonaparte,  by  a  rapid  march,  threw  his  horse  across 
the  river  under  cover  of  darkness,  to  cut  off  retreat, 
and  then,  with  the  morning,  opened  the  conflict,  which 
in  an  hour  drove  all  but  the  dead  and  captured  in 
confusion  from  the  field.  He  jjressed  forward  to 
Faenza,  whose  closed  gates  and  defiant  walls,  soon  gave 
way,  and  the  unpitied  populace  were  swept  before  the 
crimson  bayonets  like  autumnal  leaves  in  the  tempest. 
Three  thousand,  with  Colli,  surrendered,  and  Ancona 
was  entered. 

*'  The  priests  had  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  p,t 
this  place,  which  they  exhibited  to  the  jieople  in  tlio 
act  of  shedding  tears,  the  more  to  stimulate  them 
against  the  impious  republicans.  On  entering  tlie 
place,  the  French  were  amused  with  discovering  the 
machinery  by  which  this  trick  had  been  performed  ; 
the  Madonna's  tears  were  a  string  of  glass  beads  which 
flowed  by  clock  work,  within  a  shrine  which  the  wor- 
shipers were  too  respectful  to  approach  very  nearly."' 

Napoleon  exposed  the  trick  ;  and  by  his  lenity  to 
the  prisoners,  acquired  immediately  great  influence  ovor 
tlie  people  who  had  dreaded  his  jDresence  as  that  of  a 
lawless  demon.  February  10th,  he  marched  into 
Loretto,  and  seized  its  treasures. 

The  Directory,  with  the  sanguinary  spirit  of  the 
revolutionary  movement,  desired  Napoleon  to  treat 
with  unsparing  severity  the  hostile  parties  in  the  con- 
quered realms,  especially  the  despotic  hierarchy  of 
Eome.  He,  on  the  contrary,  with  respectful  attention, 
promised  the  priests  in  exile  in  the  papal  states  pro- 
tection and  food  within  the  monasteries  wliich  came 
beneath  his   banner.       This   unexpected    mercy  em- 


76  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

boldened  the  Pope  to  send  an  envoy  to  open  a  treaty 
with  Napoleon,  which  was  consummated  the  13th  of 
February,  1797.  Avignon  was  formally  ceded  ;  Fer- 
rara,  Bologna,  and  Eomagna,  with  Ancona,  abandoned  ; 
the  works  of  art,  before  pledged,  presented  ;  and  a 
million  and  a  half  pounds  sterling  paid  into  the  treasury. 
The  pontiff  was  left  in  possession  of  a  crown  which 
was,  after  all,  the  mockery  of  royal  authority — his 
holiness,  swelled  the  vassal-train  of  the  Corsican. 
Venice  alone  remained  unsubdued,  and  disputing  the 
claim  of  the  conqueror  to  universal  mastery  of  north- 
ern Italy.  "With  more  than  fifty  thousand  troops,  that 
government  demanded  the  right  of  neutrality,  while 
Napoleon  urged  an  alliance  with  France.  These 
soldiers  were  the  wild  Sclavonians  ;  the  defense  of  a 
people  discordant  and  revolutionary.  Bonaparte  in 
view  of  their  condition,  and  his  own  immediate  work, 
consented  to  their  proud  demand,  and  said,  "  Be  neu- 
tral then  ;  but  remember,  that  if  you  violate  your 
neutrality,  if  you  harass  my  troops,  if  you  cut  off  my 
supplies,  I  will  take  ample  vengeance." 

Nine  days  had  passed  since  the  conflict  began  with 
the  Pope,  whose  consecrated  scepter  had  made  kings 
kiss  the  dust  of  his  feet,  and  the  youthful  general  of 
France  was  greater  than  he.  Napoleon  now  turned 
to  his  discomfited,  brave,  and  unyielding  enemy. 
His  face  was  toward  Vienna,  the  capital  of  Austria. 
Under  Archduke  Charles,  a  talented  prince  in  the 
prime  of  manhood,  a  sixth  campaign  was  opened.  Of 
the  French  force,  ten  thousand  men  remained  to  guard 
the  Venetian  neutrality,  while  he  took  up  headquar- 
ters at  Bussano.  Again  he  addressed  an  army,  rein- 
forced by  twenty  thousand  troops  ;  making  in  all  fifty 
thousand,  with  which  to  oppose  nearly  double  the 
number  that  would  pour  into  the  arena  of  a  combat, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  77 

on  which  the  civilized  world  looked  with  alisorbiiig 
interest.  These  were  his  eloquent  words  :  "  Soldiers  ! 
the  campaign  just  ended  has  given  you  imperishable 
renown.  You  have  been  victorious  in  your  fourteen 
pitched  battles  and  seventy  actions.  You  have  taken 
more  than  a  hundred  thousand  prisoners,  five  hundred 
field-pieces,  two  thousand  heavy  guns,  and  four  pon- 
toon trains.  You  have  maintained  the  army  during 
the  whole  campaign.  In  addition  to  this,  you  have 
sent  six  million  of  dollars  to  the  public  treasury,  and 
have  enriched  the  Xational  Museum  with  three  hun- 
dred master-pieces  of  the  arts  of  ancient  and  modern 
Italy,  which  it  has  required  thirty  centuries  to  produce. 
You  have  conquered  the  finest  countries  in  Europe. 
The  French  flag  waves  for  the  first  time  upon  the 
Adriatic,  opposite  to  Macedon,  the  native  country  of 
Alexander.  Still  higher  destinies  await  you.  I  know 
that  you  will  not  prove  unworthy  of  them.  Of  all  the 
foes  that  conspired  to  stifle  the  republic  in  its  birth, 
the  Austrian  emperor  alone  remains  before  you.  To 
obtain  peace,  we  must  seek  it  in  the  heart  of  his  heredi- 
tary state.  You  will  there  find  a  brave  people,  whose 
religion  and  customs  you  will  respect,  and  whose  prop- 
erty you  will  hold  sacred.  Remember  that  it  is  liberty 
you  carry  to  the  brave  Hungarian  nation.^' 

To  give  the  details  of  the  sixth  campaign,  which 
now  commenced,  would  be  to  rejieat  the  story  which 
has  been  already  five  times  told.  The  archduke,  fet- 
tered by  the  aulic  council  of  Vienna,  saw  himself  com- 
pelled to  execute  a  plan  which  he  had  discrimination 
enough  to  condemn.  The  Austrian  army  once  more 
commenced  operations  on  a  double  basis — one  great 
division  on  the  Tyrolese  frontier,  and  a  greater  under 
the  archduke  himself  on  the  Friulese ;  and  Napoleon 
—who  had,  even  when  acting  on  the  defensive,  been 


YS  WFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

able,  by  the  vivacity  of  his  movements,  to  assume  the 
superiority  on  whatever  point  he  chose  to  select — was 
not  likely  to  strike  his  blows  with  less  skill  and  vigor, 
now  that  his  numbers,  and  the  quiescence  of  Italy 
behind  him,  permitted  him  to  assume  the  offensive. 

The  Austrians  lay  along  the  banks  of  the  Taglia- 
mento,  with  the  mountain-barriers  separating  Italy 
from  Germany  in  their  front.  Napoleon  reached  the 
dividing-stream,  and  after  a  flourish  of  his  battalions, 
retired  to  encam]^,  as  if  from  weariness,  and  to  seek 
repose.  The  stratagem  was  not  detected  by  Prince 
Charles,  whose  ranks  also  withdrew  to  their  tents  for  the 
night.  Two  hours  vanished,  and  the  trumpet  ssounded. 
The  French  dashed  into  the  river,  and  before  the  Aus- 
trians could  recover  self-possession,  were  half  way  over. 
Upon  the  unformed  lines,  the  confident  columns  of 
Napoleon  rushed  with  resistless  impetuosity. 

This  was  on  the  12th  of  March.  The  archduke 
retreated,  and  the  French  pursued,  storming  Gradisca, 
and  taking  five  thousand  prisoners.  Through  the 
strongholds  of  Trieste  and  Fiume,  and  over  mountain 
passes,  left  crimson  with  the  blood  of  foemen,  they 
followed  the  thinning  ranks  of  the  gallant  Austrians. 
Meanwhile  General  Laudon  had  descended  upon  the 
Tyrol  and  gained  possession  of  the  defended  points. 
The  Venetians,  encouraged  by  this  success,  raised  the 
flag  of  open  hostility,  and  their  frieiids,  wherever  in 
the  ascendant,  commenced  a  brutal  slaughter  of  French 
prisoners  in  the  hospitals  of  the  insurrectionary  cities. 
AVith  these  advantages  behind  the  French,  Charles 
tliought  to  push  his  way  to  Vienna,  and  leading  his 
enemy  into  the  center  of  the  German  territory,  and 
under  the  walls  of  the  capital,  meet  the  valor  of  the 
empire  where  it  would  glow  most  intensely,  and  make 
a  decisive  display  on  the  field  of  glory. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAKTE.  YO 

At  this  crisis  came  orders  from  the  court  of  Vienna 
to  close  the  wasting  conflict  of  six  years,  and  embrace 
tlie  earliest  opportunity  for  negotiating  a  treaty  of 
peace.  A  few  days  before,  Charles  had  refused  the 
appeal  of  Napoleon  to  terminate  the  desolating  war, 
which  he  maintained  alone,  and  which  ravaged  the 
land,  with  no  prospective  benefit  to  his  country,  or 
honor  to  his  arms.  Till  now,  he  had  no  choice  but 
to  command  the  splendid  battalions,  already  sadly 
invaded  by  the  fire  of  as  heroic,  and  more  successful 
warriors.  Terror  reigned  at  Vienna.  Princes  and 
royal  treasures  were  already  across  the  Hungarian 
boundary,  and  all  hearts  longed  for  cessation  of  hostili- 
ties, which  as  yet  gave  the  laurel  of  conquest  to  "  the 
man  of  destiny."  The  result  was  the  treaty  of  Leoben, 
April  18,  1797.  The  preliminary  expressions  recogniz- 
ing the  French  RepuWic,  Xapoleon  ordered  stricken 
out,  evidently  with  his  marvelous  foresight,  anticipating 
a  change  in  the  government,  which  might  require  un- 
fettered action,  Avhen  he  should  lay  aside  the  sword 
for  the  reins  of  authority.  Without  waiting  to  watch 
the  completion  of  the  negotiation,  he  gave  it  to  safe 
hands,  and  like  the  lion  coming  down  ujoon  his  help- 
less prey,  marched  toward  the  treacherous  Venetians, 
who,  trembling  with  alarm,  sought  terms  of  submission. 
Xapoleon  re^Dlied,  '*  French  blood  has  been  treacher- 
ously shed  ;  if  you  could  offer  me  the  treasures  of  Peru, 
if  you  cover  your  whole  dominion  with  gold,  the  atone- 
ment would  be  insufficient  :  the  lion  of  St.  Mark  must 
bite  the  dust."  His  scornful  allusion  to  the  armo- 
rial bearing  of  Venice,  conveying  the  assurance 
of  merciless  vengeance,  spread  fear  over  the  city. 
Amid  the  chaos  of  conflicting  interests  and  emotions 
in  the  city,  Xapoleon  appeared  on  the  coast  of  the 
Lagoon. 


80  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

May  31st,  intelligence  was  received  that  the  Senate 
made  no  further  resistance.  But  it  was  his  time  for 
revenge  ;  and  he  began  the  work.  The  chiefs  in  the  in- 
surrections of  Lombardy  were  demanded  ;  a  democratic 
government  formed  ;  Italian  lands  ceded  ;  five  ships  of 
war,  and  three  million  francs  in  gold,  and  the  same 
amount  in  naval  stores,  were  claimed  ;  and  added  to 
all,  he  selected  twenty  pictures  and  five  hundred  valu- 
able manuscripts.  Then,  with  the  air  of  Europe's 
master,  he  made  Venice  his  rendezvous  till  the  elements 
there  also  Avere  calmed  beneath  his  eagle  eye,  and 
kingly  command. 

The  Senate,  like  Austria  before  them,  tried  the  power 
of  a  magnificent  bribe  of  seven  millions  of  francs,  to 
secure  his  clemency.  He  scorned  in  this,  as  in  every 
instance,  the  test  of  his  republican  principles.  His 
reply  to  the  Austrian  offer  of  a  German  principality, 
*'  I  thank  the  emperor,  but  if  greatness  is  to  be  mine, 
it  shall  come  from  France,"  revealed  the  identity  of 
his  greatness  with  that  of  his  adopted  country.  France 
was  to  be  the  splendid  pyramid  hung  with  trophies  of 
war,  and  adorned  with  art,  on  whose  summit  he  had 
resolved  to  stand. 

Among  the  papers  of  the  Count  D'Entraigues,  an 
exiled  agent  of  the  Bourbons,  whom  the  unfaithful 
Venetians  delivered  to  Napoleon,  he  found  undoubted 
proof  of  the  criminal  negotiations  of  General  Pichegru 
on  the  Khine,  witli  the  Bourbon  princes,  and  his  dis- 
guised action  on  the  field  against  the  republic.  The 
facts  were  sent  immediately  to  Paris.  Pichegru,  dis- 
placed by  Hoche,  returned  to  the  capital,  became  a 
member  of  the  council  of  five  hundred,  and  on  the 
meeting  of  the  chambers,  took  the  presidency  of  that 
royalist  assembly. 

At  this  juncture,  the  troubled,  jealous  Directory, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  81 

Bent  for  Napoleon.  He  had  assumed  responsibility 
never  before  attempted  by  an  officer  under  command. 
When  General  Clarke  apj^eared  in  behalf  of  the  govern- 
ment at  Leoben,  to  dictate  the  terms  of  treaty,  he  set 
him  aside  with  perfect  coolness  and  decision.  And  in 
the  pending  cause  with  Austria,  he  disregarded  the 
wishes  of  the  republican  rulers,  and  surrendered  back 
Mantua.  At  this  time,  he  likewise  laid  his  hand  on 
the  revolution  in  Genoa,  and  gave  them  their  form  of 
government.  It  is  not  strange  that  the  central  power 
of  France  should  inquire,  "  Does  the  lecturer  of  the 
Ligurian  republic  mean  to  be  our  Washington,  our 
Monk,  or  our  Cromwell  ?"  Napoleon  despatched  Au- 
gereau  to  Paris  at  the  head  of  the  national  guard,  and 
assured  the  Directory  he  was  prepared  to  aid  them  with 
fifteen  thousand  men,  in  the  threatened  collision  with 
the  royalists.  Meanwhile,  Hoc  he  was  ordered  there  by 
the  government  with  his  Rhenish  troops  ;  and  September 
4,  1797,  the  minority  of  the  Directory  were  subdued, 
and  Pichegru  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  others,  sent 
into  exile.  Bonaparte  was  displeased  with  the  move- 
ment independent  of  himself,  and  the  lenity  shown 
Pichegru. 

He  wrote  about  this  date  several  letters  to  Joseph, 
one  of  which  we  give,  affording  a  pleasant  view  of  his 
versatile  talent,  taste,  and  tact ;  while  it  does  honor  to 
his  heart. 

KAPOLEOISr  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  October  16, 1797. 

"  I  request  yon.  Citizen  Minister,*  to  make  known 
to  the  composers  in  the  Cisalpine  Eepublic,  and  gen- 
erally in  Italy,  that  I  offer,  by  competition,  for  the 
best  march,  overture,  etc.,  on  the  death  of  General 
Hoche,  a  medal  worth  sixty  sequins.  The  pieces  must 
*  Joseph  had  been  appointed  French  ambassador  at  Rome. 


82  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

be  received  by  the  30th  Brumaire  [20th  November], 
You  will  have  tlie  kindness  to  name  three  artists  or 
amateurs  as  adjudicators,  and  to  charge  yourself  with 
the  other  details." 

After  arranging  his  affairs  in  Italy,  he  was  joined  by 
Josephine,  at  the  fine  old  castle  of  Montebello,  near 
Milan,  where  he  fixed  his  miniature  court ;  a  delight- 
ful country-seat  six  miles  from  the  city.  Here  Jose- 
phine began  to  enjoy  what  circumstances  hitherto  had 
denied  her  since  her  second  marriage — the  tranquillity 
and  joy  of  lioine.  She  won  the  affection  and  homage  of 
the  gay  Milanese  ;  many  lavished  upon  her  attentions 
expressive  of  gratitude  to  the  victor,  whom  they  re- 
garded as  their  liberator.  Thus  from  pure  admiration 
or  motives  of  j^olicy,  all  classes  sought  with  enthusiasm 
to  honor  the  wife  of  Napoleon,  and  enhance  the  pleas- 
ures of  her  sojourn  among  the  romantic  scenery  of  that 
country,  whose  southern  boundary  was  beautiful  and 
fallen  Italy. 

But  she  soon  became  weary  of  the  pomp  and  cere- 
mony of  what  was  to  her,  except  in  name,  a  splendid 
court.  Balls  and  the  drama,  fetes  and  concerts,  which 
she  felt  obliged  to  grace  with  her  presence,  Avere  to  her 
imaginative  and  sensitive  nature  the  tiresome  whirl  of 
a  dazzling  panorama  of  vanishing  views,  and  she  longed 
for  more  elevated  communion.  She  therefore  went 
forth,  and,  nnder  a  sky  which  bent  lovingly  over  her 
as  when  she  was  the  charming  Creole  of  Martinique, 
looked  upon  the  glorious  summits,  and  the  unrivaled 
lakes  that  slept  in  their  embrace.  Her  excursions  to 
the  Apennines,  Lake  Como,  and  especially  to  Lake 
3iIaggiore,  afforded  her  refreshment  of  spirit  and  of 
frame.  On  the  latter  clear  expanse,  repose  the  Borro- 
mean  Islands,  celebrated  by  Tasso  and  Ariosto,  in  glow- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  83 

ing  language.  These  lie  in  a  gulf,  ornameDted  with 
tasteful  dwellings,  and  terraced  gardens,  with  the 
orange,  citron,  and  myrtle,  to  lend  shade  and  beauty 
to  the  esplanade.  In  the  distance  the  Alps  lift  their 
solemn  brows  into  the  azure,  girdled  with  cultivated 
fields,  mantling  foliage,  and  glittering  with  ice-plains, 
that  flash  in  the  sunlight  like  a  motionless  sea  of 
diamonds.  On  the  other  side  is  the  open  country, 
covered  with  vineyards,  dotted  with  villages  and  cities, 
and  presenting  all  the  variety  of  picturesque  landscape 
so  attractive  to  the  traveler  in  Southern  Europe. 
Josephine  stood  here  entranced,  like  the  Peri  of  this 
jDaradise.  At  her  feet  lay  the  crystal  waters,  reflecting 
the  green  slopes,  the  mansions  of  wealth,  and  the 
wandering  clouds  ;  Avhile  the  white  wings  of  distant 
sail-boats  passed  each  other  on  the  bright  undulations. 
Napoleon  loved  this  resort,  where  the  grand  and  beau- 
tiful encircled  him,  invested  with  associations  of  the 
glory  of  a  former  agOo  His  expanding  genius,  and 
soaring  ambition,  were  pleased  with  scenes  that  em- 
bellished the  majestic  heights  guarding  the  land  of  his 
victories,  and  which  were  silent  exponents  of  his  own 
dawning  greatness.  Even  in  his  social  intercourse  he 
manifested  a  consciousness  of  superiority — an  isolation 
of  character,  in  avoiding  a  disclosure  of  his  purposes 
and  feelings,  while  his  penetrating  glance  and  admi- 
rable tact  drew  from  others  their  every  shade  of  chang- 
ing thought.  Josephine  complains  of  this  restless  in- 
dependence and  distrust,  which  withheld  from  her  the 
unrestrained  intercourse  of  confiding  aifection.  There 
was  in  her  a  transparent  candor  and  lively  sympathy, 
Xapoleon  doubtless  feared  ;  for  secrecy  he  well  knew 
was  his  only  security  while  his  movements,  which  had 
the  stamp  of  destiny,  were  under  the  inspection  of  a 
legion    of    powerful  foes.     And  there  is  always  ecu- 


84  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

nected  with  great  genius  an  egoism,  as  the  Germans 
terra  this  self-reliance  and  irritability,  which  are  nn- 
favorable  either  to  friendship  or  domestic  felicity.  But 
far  as  any  object  besides  the  scepter  of  Europe  could 
reign  over  his  heart,  Josephine  had  control,  and  was 
cherished  in  moments  of  rest  from  his  stupendous 
plans,  with  the  fondness  of  early  attachment.  He  was 
exceedingly  kind  to  her  son  and  daughter,  both  in  cor- 
respondence, and  projecting  their  advancement  and  hap- 
piness, in  proportion  to  his  own  exaltation  and  resources 
of  usefulness  to  friends.  He  was  not  destitute  of  deep 
emotion — nor  a  stranger  to  the  better  feelings  of  our 
nature  ;  and  yet  there  was  ever  a  conflict  between  these 
and  the  attainment  of  his  chief  good — the  unquestioned 
pre-eminence  of  power  which  should  overshadow  a 
continent — a  principle  of  action  that,  in  its  legitimate 
result,  would,  if  possible  map  out  the  hoavens,  and 
give  away  to  his  favorites,  the  stars. 

One  little  incident  illustrates  his  regard  for  his  wife 
amid  the  stirring  events  that  heralded  his  name,  and 
betrays  the  same  superstitious  faith  in  omens  she 
cherished.  Isaby,  a  celebrated  artist,  painted  a  minia- 
ture of  Josephine  at  the  time  of  her  marriage,  which 
he  constantly  Avore  near  his  heart,  in  the  feverish  re- 
pose of  his  tent,  and  in  the  smoke  of  battle.  AYhen 
the  war-cloud  rolled  away  from  the  bed  of  the  slain,  and 
the  shout  of  victory  drowned  the  groans  of  the  dying, 
with  the  pause  of  joy  that  succeeded  to  the  conflict,  he 
not  unfrequently  drew  forth  this  talisman  of  his  purest 
hopes  and  most  rational  delight,  and  then  hastened  to 
communicate  the  tidings  of  conquest  to  the  original  ; 
in  which  the  expression  once  occurs,  "  In  the  contest  1 
think  of  France,  afterward  of  you."  By  some  accident 
it  happened  that  the  glass  covering  the  picture  was 
broken,  and  immediately  the  presentiment   awakened 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAKTE.  85 

that  Josephine  was  dead — a  solicitude  which  was 
calmed  only  with  the  return  of  a  courier  sent  to  learn 
if  she  were  among  the  living. 

The  final  settlement  with  the  emperor's  commission- 
ers, though  long  delayed,  was  at  length  completed, 
and  the  treaty  of  Carapo-Formio  was  signed  on  the  3d 
of  October,  1797.  By  this  act  the  emperor  yielded  to 
France  Flanders  and  the  boundary  of  the  Ehine,  in- 
cluding the  great  fortress  of  Mentz.  The  various  new 
republics  of  Lombardy  were  united,  and  recognized  un- 
der the  general  name  of  the  Cisalpine  Eepublic.  To 
indemnify  Austria  for  the  loss  of  those  territories,  tho 
fall  of  Venice  afforded  new  means — of  which  Napoleon 
did  not  hesitate  to  propose,  nor  Austria  to  accept  the 
use.  France  and  Austria  agreed  to  effect  a  division  of 
the  whole  territories  of  the  ancient  republic.  Venice 
herself,  and  her  Italian  provinces,  were  handed  over  to 
the  emperor  in  lieu  of  his  lost  Lombardy  ;  and  the 
French  assumed  the  sovereignty  of  the  Ionian  islands 
and  Dalmatia. 

At  the  Te  Del'm,  after  the  proclamation  of  the 
peace,  the  imperial  envoy  would  have  taken  the  place 
prepared  for  Bonaparte,  which  was  the  most  eminent 
in  the  church.  The  haughty  soldier  seized  his  arm 
and  drew  him  back.  "  Had  your  imperial  master  him- 
self been  here,  "  said  he,  ''  I  should  not  have  forgotten 
that  in  my  person  the  dignity  of  France  is  represented." 

"When  about  quitting  Milan  for  Eastadt,  he  presented 
a  fltig  to  the  Directory  by  General  Joubert,  the  mes- 
senger appointed  for  the  occasion,  on  one  side  of  v/hicli 
was  the  inscription,  "  To  the  army  of  Italy,  the  grate- 
ful country  ; "  on  the  other  a  condensed,  yet  ambitious 
bulletin  of  his  campaign  :  "  One  hundred  and  fifteen 
thousand  prisoners  ;  one  hundred  and  seventy  stand- 
ard* ;  five  hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  battering  can- 


SG  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

non  ;  six  hundred  pieces  of  field  artillery  ;  five  bridge 
equipages  ;  nine  sixty-four  gun  ships  ;  twelve  thirty- 
two  gun  frigates  ;  twelve  corvettes  ;  eighteen  galleys  ; 
armistice  with  the  King  of  Sardinia  ;  convention  with 
Genoa  ;  armistice  with  the  Duke  of  Parma  ;  armistice 
with  the  King  of  Naples  ;  armistice  with  the  Pope  ; 
preliminaries  of  Leoben  ;  convention  of  Montebello 
with  the  republic  of  Genoa  ;  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
Emperor  at  Campo-Formio. 

"  Liberty  given  to  the  people  of  Bologna,  Ferrara, 
Modena,  Massa- Carrara,  La  Romagna,  Lombardy,  Bres- 
sera,  Bormio,  the  Vallentina,  the  Genoese,  the  Impe- 
rial Fiefs,  the  people  of  the  departments  of  Coreigra, 
of  the  ^gean  Sea,  and  of  Ithaca.  '  Sent  to  Paris  all 
the  master-pieces  of  Michael  Angelo,  of  Genercino,  of 
Titian,  of  Paul  Veronese,  of  Correggio,  of  Albano,  of 
Carracei,  of  Raphael,  and  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci/  " 

But  the  Directory  were,  in  return  for  his' success, 
envious  of  his  popularity,  which  with  the  word  Liberty, 
was  traversing  the  valleys,  and  echoing  among  the 
snow-crowned  tops  of  the  Alps  and  Apennines  ;  and 
they  annoyed  both  himself  and  Josephine  by  the  subtle 
vigilance  of  spies,  whose  presence  failed  to  obtain  from 
either,  treasonable  or  unlawful  aspirations,  with  which 
to  check,  by  the  interposition  of  authority,  the  splen- 
did course  of  this  hero,  whose  youthful  promise  was 
that  of  bearing  at  lengtli  the  prize  alone  in  the  Olym- 
pic games  of  blood,  "whose  honors  kings  and  generals 
had  struggled  for,  and  alternately  lost  and  won. 

Leaving  Josephine  and  her  family  at  Milan,  he 
reached  Mantua,  celebrated  the  funeral  of  General 
Iloche,  attended  to  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Virgil,  then  amid  the  acclamations  of  the 
people,  marched  toward  Ilastadt.  In  addition  to  the 
portrait  given  incidentally  in  the  preceding  narration 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  87 

of  Napoleoii'rf  personal  uppeuranco,  an  additional  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  written  at  this  time  by  au  observer 
of  the  triumphal  jarocession,  is  interesting,  and  has  an 
air  of  tidelitj  in  tiie  description  : 

'•'  I  beheld  with  deep  interest  and  extreme  attention 
that  extraordinary  man  who  has  performed  such  great 
deeds,  and  about  whom  there  is  something  which 
seems  to  indicate  that  his  career  is  not  yet  terminated. 
I  found  him  very  like  his  portrait,  small  in  stature, 
thin,  pale,  with  the  air  of  fatigue,  but  not  in  ill  health 
as  has  been  reported.  He  appeared  to  me  to  listen 
with  more  abstraction  than  interest,  as  if  occupied 
rather  with  what  he  was  thinking  of,  than  with  what 
was  said  to  him.  There  is  great  intelligence  in  his 
countenance,  along  with  au  expression  of  habitual  medi- 
tation which  reveals  nothing  of  what  is  passing  within. 
In  that  thinking  head,  in  that  daring  mind,  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  suppose  that  some  designs  are  engender- 
ing which  shall  have  their  influence  on  the  destinies  of 
Surope." 

With  the  ardent  affection  of  a  noble  army,  who  still 
svept  over  his  farewell ;  the  enthusiastic  admiration  of 
thousands  in  the  Cisalpine  Republic  which  he  created, 
who  hoped  for  a  future  grand  Italian  union  under  a 
democratic  constitution  ;  and  attended  in  his  rapid 
course  through  the  hamlets  of  Switzerland  and  the 
cities  of  the  plains,  with  the  homage  of  the  people  ;  he 
reached  Rastadt,  and  ajjpeared  before  the  assembled 
congress  of  "the  German  powers. 

As  only  minor  points  divided  the  princes,  Xapoleon, 
after  a  few  days,  hastened  to  Paris.  This  congress  con- 
tinued its  sessions  from  December  9th,  1797,  to  April 
7th,  1799,  while  Xapoleon  was  on  a  broader  field  of  in- 
tellectual, civil  and  military  display.  For  a  while,  he 
lived  in  obscurity,  waiting  the  opportunity  for  another 


88  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

evolution  in  the  march  of  events,  to  unfold  his  own 
stupendous  plans.  He  pursued  his  studies — visited 
with  a  select  few — and  passed  with  Josephine  the  quiet 
hours.  The  Parisians  marveled  at  the  invisibility  of 
their  idol.  But  policy  and  taste  both  kept  him  from 
the  public  gaze,  in  the  residence  which  he  occupied  be- 
fore he  went  to  Italy,  and  which  was  named  in  honor 
of  the  illustrious  tenant.  Rue  cle  la  Victoire.  Upon 
one  of  the  social  occasions,  Avhen  genius  and  beauty 
shone  around  his  greater  intellect,  Madame  de  Stael, 
the  distinguished  daughter  of  M.  Neckar,  inquired, 
"  Whom  do  you  consider  the  greatest  of  women  ?  " 
Napoleon  replied,  "  Her,  madame,  who  has  borne  the 
greatest  number  of  children."  From  this  cutting  rebuke 
to  her  vanity,  she  became  his  bitter  enemy  until  death. 

He  was  sensitive  to  the  opinions  of  others,  but  his 
conscious  superiority  and  natural  independence,  made 
him  regardless  of  it,  if  personal  plans  or  inclination  led 
him  in  conflict  with  the  pride  and  the  views  of  the 
meanest  or  the  most  gifted  minds.  He  became  with 
advancing  greatness,  more  formal  and  reserved  in  his 
intercourse  with  officers  and  friends,  but  maintained  a 
familiar  converse  Avith  the  common  soldiery.  He  knew 
that  from  the  former,  he  must  keep  himself  apart,  if 
he  would  control  them  and  awe  the  multitude ;  Avhile 
in  the  absence  of  encroachment  upon  his  realm  of  in- 
fluence from  the  adoring  soldier,  his  freedom  with  them 
had  an  air  of  sympathy  and  condescension  which  won 
the  deeper  love  of  the  troops,  and  the  admiration  of 
all.  In  his  elevation,  he  remembered  the  jewelers, 
barbers,  and  the  humblest  peasant,  who  had  done  him 
service  when  in  the  army. 

'' A  silversmith,  who  had  given  him  credit  when  he 
set  out  to  Italy,  for  a  dressing-case  worth  fifty  pounds 
was  rewarded  with  all  the  business  which  the  recom- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BOXAPARTE.  81) 

mendation  of  his  now  illustrious  debtor  could  bring  to 
him  ;  and,  being  clever  in  his  trade,  became  ultimately, 
under  the  patronage  of  the  imperial  household,  one  of 
the  wealthiest  citizens  of  Paris,  A  little  hatter,  and 
a  cobbler,  who  had  served  Bonaparte  when  a  subaltern, 
might  have  risen  in  the  same  manner,  had  their  skill 
equaled  the  silversmitli's.  'Not  even  Napoleon's  ex- 
amj^le  could  persuade  the  Parisians  to  wear  ill-shaped 
hats  and  clumsy  boots  ;  but  he,  in  his  own  person,  ad- 
hered, to  the  last,  to  his  original  connection  with  these 
poor  artisans," 

January  2d,  1798,  Xapoleon  left  his  retirement  for 
the  great  court  of  Luxembourg,  The  treaty  of  Campo- 
Formio  was  in  his  hands,  and  the  hour  of  public  pre- 
sentation to  the  Directory  had  been  appointed.  The 
open  area  was  hung  like  a  gorgeous  tent,  with  ban- 
ners, and  both  the  rulers  and  the  people  waited  impa- 
tiently for  his  ap|iearing.  And  Avhen  he  came,  "fol- 
lowed by  his  staff,  and  surrounded  on  all  hands  with 
the  trophies  of  his  glorious  campaigns,  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  mighty  multitude,  to  the  far  greater  part  of 
which  his  person  was,  up  to  the  moment,  entirely 
unknown,  outleaped  all  bounds,  and  filled  the  already 
jealous  hearts  of  tlie  directors  with  dark  i^reseutiments. 
They  well  knew  that  the  soldiery  returning  from  Italy 
had  sung  and  said  through  every  village,  that  it  was 
high  time  to  get  rid  of  the  lawyers,  and  make  '  the 
little  corporal '  king.  "With  uneasy  hearts  did  they  hear 
what  seemed  too  like  an  echo  of  this  cry,  from  the  as- 
sembled leaders  of  opinion  in  Paris  and  in  France. 
The  voice  of  Napoleon  was  for  the  first  time  heard  in 
an  energetic  speech,  ascribing  all  the  glories  that  had 
been  achieved  to  the  zeal  of  the  French  soldiery — for 
'  the  glorious  constitution  of  the  year  three  ' — the 
lame  glorious  constitution  which,  in  the  year  eight,  was 


90  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BONAPARTE. 

to  receive  the  w«^  de  grace  from  liis  own  liauJ  ;  and 
Barras,  as  presiding  director,  answering  that  *  Nature 
had  exhausted  all  her  powers  in  the  creation  of  a 
Bonaparte/  awoke  a  new  thunder  of  apjilause." 

Talleyrand  introduced  him,  and  both  his  address  and 
that  of  Napoleon  were  brief  and  brilliant.  When  the 
hero  ceased,  the  concourse  shouted  wildly,  "  Vive 
Napoleon,  the  conqueror  of  Italy,  the  pacificator  of 
Europe,  the  saviour  of  France."  This  splendid  scene  of 
delirious  Joy  was  the  homage  of  the  people,  and  the 
government  keenly  felt  it.  He  was  elected  member 
of  the  Institute,  the  distinguished  literary  establish- 
ment of  the  capital,  in  place  of  Carnot,  exiled,  and  it 
was  believed  dead,  and  welcomed  with  similar  demon- 
strations of  honor  and  delight,  by  the  cultivated  con- 
stellation of  minds  gathered  within  its  spacious  halls. 
Thenceforth  he  put  on  the  plain  citizen's  dress  ;  and 
years  afterward  thus  referred  to  the  j)olicy  involved  in 
the  position  and  manners  he  then  assumed  :  "  Man- 
kind are  in  the  end  always  governed  by  superiority  of 
intellectual  qualities,  and  none  are  more  sensible  of 
this  than  the  military  profession.  When,  on  my  re- 
turn from  Italy,  I  assumed  the  dress  of  the  Institute, 
and  associated  with  men  of  science,  I  knew  what  I  Avas 
doing  ;  I  was  sure  of  not  being  misunderstood  by  the 
lowest  drummer  in  the  army."  Napoleon's  econoni}'' 
personally  was  a  singular  quality  of  his  character. 
He  might  have  amassed  wealth  by  millions,  but  limited 
himself  to  a  moderate  allowance.  This  fact  made  the 
meanness  and  jealousy  of  the  Directory  the  more  con- 
spicuous and  significant  to  liim,  when  the  motion  was 
lost  in  the  Chambei-s,  to  grant  him  the  estate  of 
Chambord.  But  when  the  government  could  use  his 
name  or  presence,  they  were  very  willing  to  concede 
his  eminence.     On  the  contrary,  he  wished  to  have  aa 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  91 

little  to  do  with  them  as  possible,  and  secretly  despised 
their  authority.  It  was  with  this  mutual  distrust  ripeu- 
ing,  that  Napoleon  refused  the  invitation  to  cele- 
brate, with  the  republican  leaders,  the  21st  of  January, 
the  anniversary  of  tlie  violent  death  of  Louis  XVI.  He 
at  last  yielded  to  the  urgency  of  the  Directory,  and 
appeared,  greatly  to  their  annoyance,  in  citizen's  dress, 
instead  of  the  general's  uniform  with  which  to  grace 
and  sanction  the  ceremony  he  condemned,  as  the  com- 
memoration of  a  lamentable,  if  indeed  a  necessary 
tragedy.  His  presence  was  discovered,  and  the  festival 
of  death  became  a  triumphal  fete  to  Napoleon.  The 
air  was  rent  with  shouts,  and  the  populace  bowed  to 
him,  as  the  forest  bends  before  the  wind. 

The  next  grand  scene  in  the  Napoleonic  drama,  was 
the  proposed  invasion  of  England  ;  the  only  great 
power  openly  hostile  to  the  new  republic.  He  disap- 
proved the  abrupt  termination  of  negotiations  with 
Lord  Malmesbury  the  year  before,  by  the  government, 
but  Avas  ready  to  accept  the  command  of  the  amply  re- 
cruited army,  and  undertake  another  enterprise,  equal 
in  grandeur  and  difficulty  to  his  genius.  In  company 
with  a  few  of  his  ablest  generals,  he  immediately  com- 
menced a  survey  of  the  coast  opposite  England.  The 
result  was  the  decision  not  to  venture  upon  the  doubt- 
ful, and  if  unsuccessful,  fatal  invasion  of  a  might}'  and 
patriotic  army  on  their  own  soil.  To  Bourrienne,  who 
inquired  if  the  plan  was  possible,  he  replied,  "No  !  it 
is  too  hazardous.  I  will  not  undertake  it.  I  will  not 
risk  un  such  a  stake  our  beautiful  France." 

He  then  turned  his  thoughts  to  an  indirect  blow 
iipon  his  haughty  foe,  by  a  campaign  to  Egypt,  which 
would,  if  victorious,  atone  for  the  loss  of  colonies  in  the 
"West  Indies,  and  embarrass  England  iu  her  trade  with 
southern  Asia. 


92  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

The  exepdition  to  Egypt  was  finally  decided  upon  by 
the  Directoiy,  who  were  willing  to  place  the  envied 
general  in  a  command  that  would  remove  him  to  a 
dangerous  climate,  and  perhaps  rid  them  altogether  of 
his  dreaded  pre-eminence  He  received  his  appoint- 
ment April  12th,  1798,  and  with  a  troop  of  a  hundred 
savans,  to  gather  antiquarian  embellishments  for  the 
gallery  of  the  Louvre,  which  he  had  already  adorned 
by  his  contributions  from  the  cabinets  of  Italy,  and 
also  to  make  scientific  researches,  he  hastened  to 
Toulon  to  join  his  assembled  army  and  magnificent 
fleet. 

His  own  ambitious  views  are  finely  expressed  in  his 
own  words  :  ''They  do  not  long  preserve  at  Paris  the 
remembrance  of  anything.  If  I  remain  long  unem- 
ployed, I  am  undone.  The  renown  of  one  in  this  great 
Babylon  speedily  supplants  that  of  another.  If  I  am 
seen  three  times  at  the  opera,  I  shall  no  longer  be  an 
object  of  curiosity.  I  am  determined  not  to  remain  in 
Paris.  There  is  nothing  here  to  be  accomplished. 
Everything  here  passes  away.  My  glory  is  declining. 
The  little  corner  of  Europe  is  too  small  to  supply  it. 
"We  must  go  to  the  East.  All  great  men  of  the  world 
have  there  acquired  their  celebrity."  He  also  said, 
"  Europe  presents  no  field  for  glorious  exploits  ;  no 
great  empires  or  revolutions  are  found  but  in  the  East, 
where  there  are  six  hundred  millions  of  men.'' 

Who  can  question  the  inspiration  of  an  insatiate  am- 
bition in  the  heart  that  uttered  such  motives  of  con- 
quest ?  To  feel  this  suggestion,  we  have  only  to  im- 
agine them  falling  from  the  lips  of  Washington  !  It  is 
true.  Napoleon  loved  France  ;  but  clearly  he  regarded 
her  fame  inseparable  from  his  own,  and  no  sacrifice  too 
great  to  secure  both.  A  battalion  of  brave  soldiers,  or 
a  single  loving  heart,  oli'ered  no  barrier  to  success  ;  he 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  03 

would  sooner  drain  a  goblet  of  tears  he  made  to  flow, 
than  swerve  from  a  jjurpose  involving  his  glory.  This 
conflict  of  powers  on  the  war-plain  of  the  liuman  soul, 
i?  discernible  in  every  phase  of  his  histo-y. 

*'  The  attention  of  England  was  stil  riveted  on  the 
coasts  of  Normandy  and  Picardy,  betw:cn  which  and 
Paris  Bonaparte  studiously  divided  ".  ij  presence — while 
it  was  on  the  borders  of  the  Medit  rrr^nean  that  the 
ships  and  the  troops  really  destined  for  action  were 
assembling. 

"Bonaparte,  having  rifled  the  cabinets  and  galleries 
of  the  Italian  princes,  was  resolved  not  to  lose  tlie  op- 
portunity of  appropriating  some  of  the  richest  anti- 
quarian treasures  of  Egypt  ;  nor  was  it  likely  that  he 
should  undervalue  the  opportunities  which  his  expe- 
dition might  afford  of  extending  the  boundaries  of 
science,  by  careful  observation  of  natural  phenomena. 
He  drew  together  therefore  a  body  of  eminent  artists 
and  connoisseurs,  under  the  direction  of  Monge,  who 
had  managed  his  Italian  collections.  It  was  perhaps 
the  first  time  that  a  troop  of  savans  (there  Avere  one 
hundred  of  them)  formed  part  of  tlie  staff  of  an  invad- 
ing army. 

"The  various  squadrons  of  the  French  fleet  were 
now  assembled  at  Toulon  in  readiness  for  departure. 
As  soon  as  Bonaparte  arrived  he  called  his  army  to- 
gether and  harangued  them,  '  Eome,' he  said,  *  com- 
bated Carthage  by  sea  as  well  as  land  ,  and  England 
was  the  Carthage  of  Franco. — He  was  come  to  lead 
them,  in  the  name  of  tlie  goddess  of  Liberty  across 
mighty  seas,  and  into  remote  regions,  where  their  valor 
might  achieve  such  glory  and  such  wealth  as  could 
never  be  looked  for  beneath  the  cold  heavens  of  the 
West.  The  meanest  of  his  soldiers  should  receive  seven 
acres  of  land  j ' — where  he  mentioned  not.     His  prom- 


94  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAFABTE. 

ises  had  not  hitherto  been  vain.  The  soldiery  heard 
him  with  joy,  and  prepared  to  obey  with  alacrity. 

"  The  English  government,  meanwhile,  although  they 
liad  no  suspicion  of  the  real  destination  of  the  arma- 
ment, had  not' failed  to  observe  what  was  passing  in 
Toulon.  They  had  sent  a  considerable  reinforcement 
to  Nelson,  who  then  commanded  on  the  Mediterranean 
station  ;  and  he,  at  the  moment  wiien  Bonaparte 
reached  Toulon,  was  cruising  within  sight  of  the  port. 
Xapoleon  well  knew,  that  to  embark  in  the  presence 
of  Nelson  would  be  to  rush  into  the  jaws  of  ruin  ;  and 
waited  until  some  accident  should  relieve  him  from 
this  terrible  Avatcher.  On  the  evening  of  the  19th 
May,  fortune  favored  him.  A  violent  gale  drove  the 
English  off  the  coast,  and  disabled  some  ships  so  much 
that  Nelson  was  obliged  to  go  into  the  harbors  of  Sar- 
dinia to  have  them  repaired.  The  French  General  in- 
stantly commanded  the  embarkation  of  all  his  troops  ; 
and  as  the  last  of  them  got  on  board,  the  sun  rose  on 
the  mighty  armament  :  it  was  one  of  those  dazzling 
suns  which  the  soldiery  delighted  afterward  to  call 
*  the  suns  of  Napoleon.* " 

For  six  leagues  along  the  Mediterranean  shore,  the 
grand  armament  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle,  unfurled 
its  thousand  snowy  wings,  and  threw  upon  the  breeze 
its  gay  streamers  ;  while  the  uniform  of  forty  thousand 
''picked  soldiers,"  reflected  the  unclouded  beams  of 
the  ascending  orb.  Josephine,  who  accompanied  the 
General-in-chief  to  Toulon,  extorting  a  promise  of 
permission  to  follow  soon  his  fortunes  in  the  East, 
gazed  with  a  full  heart  upon  the  dazzling  pageant. 
Amid  all  the  magnificence  of  tlie  spectacle,  her  eye 
followed  alone  the  I'Orient,  which  bore  a  husband  and 
son,  whose  farewell  embrace  still  thrilled  her  sensitive 
frame,  till  its  tall  mast  bccnme  a  speck  in  the  distance, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  95 

and  vanished  like  departing  hope  from  her  tearful 
gaze,  beneath  the  horizon's  rnin.  Yet  there  was  the 
possibility  of  meeting  her  husband  in  accordance  with 
the  assurance  given,  among  the  ruins  of  Memphis  and 
Thebes,  which  restored  the  dreams  of  a  calmer,  brighter 
future.  She  had  a  soul  that  soared  like  the  skylark 
when  the  storm  is  jDast,  and  breathed  the  gentlest 
music  of  love,  in  the  ear  of  whoever  would  listen. 

She  retired  to  Plombieres,  celel)ruted  for  its  springs, 
whose  waters  it  was  thought  might  give  that  tone  of 
perfect  health  to  her  system.  Napoleon  ambitiously 
desired  for  the  transmission  of  his  accumulating  honors, 
and  which  she  sought  ardently  for  his  sake.  It  was 
arranged  that  she  should  remain  there  until  the  arrival 
of  the  frigate  from  Egypt  to  convey  her  thither. 

June  14th,  the  fleet  reached  the  island  of  Malta.  The 
once  brave  knights  of  St.  John,  soon  yielded  to  the 
ordnance  of  Xapoleon,  and  opened  the  gates  of  the  re- 
nowned fortress.  Napoleon  with  his  usually  laconic 
style,  wrote  to  Joseph  after  the  event : 

I^APOLEOX   TO   JOSEPH. 

"Headquarters,  Malta,  May,  29, 1798. 

*'  General  Baraguay  d'Hillicrs  is  going  to  Paris.  He 
was  unwell.  I  nse  him  to  carry  parcels  and  flags.  I 
hear  nothing  from  you  about  Eire  or  Burgund3^*  I 
write  to  my  wife  to  come  out  to  me.  Be  kind  to  her 
if  she  is  near  you.  My  health  is  good.  Malta  cost 
us  a  cannonade  of  two  days  ;  it  is  the  strongest  place 
in  Europe.  I  leave  Vaubois  there.  I  did  not  touch 
Corsica.  I  have  had  no  French  news  for  a  month. 
We  write  by  ship  of  war." 

lu  the  eastward  sailing  of  the  invading  army,  they 

*  Estates  he  wished  Joseph  to  piirchasa 


96  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE, 

tonclied  at  Candia.  to  obtain  supplies  ;  and  by  the  cir- 
cuitous route,  escaped  the  pursuit  of  Nelson,  who  miss- 
ing the  French  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Toulon,  had 
taken  the  direct  course  toward  Alexandria,  where  he 
suspected  Napoleon  might  next  display  his  troops. 
Heari)ig  of  Nelson's  design,  he  determined  to  change 
his  course  to  another  port.  But  the  English  admiral, 
finding  no  vessels  in  the  bay  of  Alexandria,  immediately 
sailed  to  Rhodes,  and  thence  to  Syracuse,  if  possible  to 
intercept  his  enemy. 

July  1st,  the  French  vessels  were  in  the  destined 
harbor,  tossing  amid  the  waves  of  a  tremendous  gale. 
Just  then  a  sail  appeared  in  the  haze  of  distance. 
Napoleon  exclaimed,  "  Fortune,  1  ask  but  six  hours 
more — wilt  thou  refuse  them  ?"  It  was  a  false  alarm, 
and  the  troops  disembarked  ;  the  noble  horses  swim- 
ming to  the  shore,  while  many  a  jjoor  soldier  went  down 
to  sleep  beneath  the  waters. 

Egypt  was  taken  by  surprise.  Her  two  hundred 
thousand  Copts,  or  descendants  of  the  ancient  race  of 
the  land,  the  Arabs  who  were  the  dominant  people  in 
numbers,  the  Janizaries  or  Turks,  and  the  wild,  fierce 
Mamelukes,  composed  the  two  and  a  half  millions  to  be 
conquered.  They  were  at  peace  with  France,  but  their 
alliance  with  England,  and  the  blessings  of  conquest  by 
French  arms,  were  the  pretext  of  this  expedition.  While 
the  battalions  of  Napoleon  formed  in  the  order  of  at- 
tack, at  Marabout,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Alexandria, 
where  they  landed,  the  intelligence  preceded  their 
march,  and  the  Turks  rallied  in  haste  for  the  defense  of 
their  city.  The  gates  were  closed,  and  a  desperate  con- 
flict began.  The  walls  Avere  scaled,  and  the  French 
rushed  impetuously  and  unsparingly  upon  the  furious 
Mamelukes.  With  a  short  and  terrific  carnage,  in  which 
the  French  loss  was  small,  Napoleon  planted  the  tri- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  97 

color  on  tl\<3  crnrabling  walls  of  the  city.  His  apology- 
for  the  merciless  havoc  of  this  first  conflict,  as  in  other 
instances  of  sanguinary  conquest,  was  the  necessity  of 
making  at  the  outset  an  impression  of  his  resistless 
force,  which  should  spread  a  panic  among  his  foes. 
His  ordinary  rule  of  action,  it  is  true,  was  more  noble  ; 
and  is  disclosed  in  the  general  order  to  the  army,  which 
at  the  same  time  declares  his  own  unsettled  and  latitu- 
dinarian  views  of  religious  truth  and  obligation  : 

"  The  people  with  whom  we  are  about  to  live,  are 
Mahometans  :  the  first  article  of  their  faith  is.  There  is 
no  God  hit  God,  and  Mahomet  is  his  inophet.  Do  not 
contradict  them  :  deal  with  them  as  you  have  done 
with  the  Jews  and  the  Italians.  Kespect  their  muftis 
and  imans,  as  you  have  done  by  the  rabbins  and  the 
bishops  elsewhere,  *  *  *  The  Eoman  legions  protected 
all  religions.  You  will  find  here  usages  different  from 
those  of  Europe  :  you  must  accustom  yourselves  to 
them.  These  people  treat  their  women  differently 
from  us  ;  but  in  all  countries,  he  who  violates  is  a  mon- 
ster ;  pillage  enriches  only  a  few  ;  it  dishonors  us,  de- 
stroys our  resources,  and  makes  those  enemies  whom  it 
is  our  interest  to  have  for  friends.'" 

To  the  people  of  Egypt  he  said  :  "  They  will  tell  you 
that  I  am  come  to  destroy  your  religion  ;  believe  them 
not  :  answer  that  I  am  come  to  restore  your  rights,  to 
punish  the  usurpers,  and  that  I  respect,  more  than  the 
Mamelukes  ever  did,  God,  his  prophet,  and  the  Koran. 
Sheiks  and  imans,  assure  the  people  that  we  also  arc 
true  Mussulmans.  Is  it  not  we  that  have  ruined  the 
Pope  and  the  knights  of  Malta  ?  Thrice  happy  they 
who  shall  be  with  us  I  Wo  to  them  that  take  up  arms 
for  the  Mamelukes  !  they  shall  perish  I  "  Leaving  three 
thousand  men  to  hold  Alexandria,  he  despatched  a 
flotilla  on  the  Nile,  with  the  munitions  of  war,  to  meet 
7 


9S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  main  army  at  a  point  fifty  miles  from  Cairo,  be- 
tween which  and  himself,  lay  sixty  miles  of  burning 
sands. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  the  regiments  filed  away  into  the 
arid  desert,  whose  furnace  heat  was  filled  with  torment- 
ing insects,  and  on  whose  glowing  plain  sparkled  no 
cooling  fountains.  Murat  and  Lannes  dashed  their  cock- 
ades beneath  their  blistering  feet,  and  many  a  poor 
soldier  laid  him  down  to  gasp  and  die.  The  nnmoist- 
ened  brow,  unshrinking  glance  of  a  seer,  and  the  ma- 
jestic step  of  a  king,  which  marked  the  leader  of  that 
feverish  host,  alone  kept  the  reeling  ranks  unbroken. 

Flying  groups  of  Arab  horsemen  picked  up  the  linger- 
ing soldier,  and  him  who  left  the  line  of  march  for  a 
moment. 

After  a  skirmish  at  Chebreis,  and  an  attack  on  the 
flotilla,  July  21,  the  Pyramids  rose  upon  their  strain- 
ing vision.  "  While  every  eye  was  fixed  on  these  hoary 
monuments  of  the  past,  they  gained  the  brow  of  a  gen- 
tle eminence,  and  saw  at  length  spread  out  before  them 
tlie  vast  army  of  the  beys,  their  riglit  posted  on  an  in- 
trenched camp  by  the  Nile,  their  center  and  left  com- 
posed of  that  brilliant  cavalry  with  which  they  were  by 
this  time  acquainted.  Napoleon,  riding  forward  to  rec- 
onnoiter,  perceived  that  the  guns  on  the  intrenched 
camp  were  not  provided  with  carriages  ;  and  instantly 
decided  on  his  plan  of  attack.  lie  prepared  to  throw 
his  force  on  the  left,  where  the  guns  could  not  be  avail- 
able. Mourad  Bey,  who  commanded  in  chief,  sueedily 
penetrated  his  design  ;  and  the  Mamelukes  advanced 
gallantly  to  the  encounter.  *  Soldiers,^  said  Napoleon, 
'  from  the  summit  of  yonder  pyramids  forty  ages  be- 
iiold  you  ;'  and  the  battle  began. 

"  The  French  formed  into  separate  squares,  and  await- 
ed the  assault  of  the  Mamelukes.     These  came  on  with 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  99 

impetuons  speed  and  wild  cries,  and  practised  every 
means  to  force  their  passage  into  the  serried  ranks  of 
their  new  opponents.  The}^  rushed  on  the  line  of  bay- 
•^nets,  backed  their  horses  upon  them,  and  at  last  mad- 
dened by  the  firmness  Avhich  they  could,  not  shake, 
dashed  their  pistols  and  carabines  into  the  faces  of  the 
men.  Nothing  could  move  the  French  :  the  bayonet 
rtud  the  continued  roll  of  musketry  by  degrees  thinned 
the  host  around  them  ;  and  Bonaparte  at  last  advanced. 
Such  were  the  confusion  and  terror  of  the  enemy  when 
he  came  near  the  camp,  that  they  abandoned  their 
works,  and  flung  themselves  by  hundreds  into  the  Kile. 
The  carnage  was  prodigious.  Multitudes  more  Avere 
drowned.  Mourad  and  a  remnant  of  his  IMamelukes 
retreated  on  Upper  Egypt.  Cairo  surrendered  :  Lower 
Egypt  was  conquered." 

Such  was  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids.  It  smote  with 
fear  the  tribes  and  nations  that  surrounded  and  spread 
away  from  the  Egyptian  capital,  even  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  Africa. 

Kapoleon,  who  had  won  by  the  fiery  onset  of  his 
troops,  the  title  of  Sultan  Kebir,  or  King  of  Fire,  and 
in  less  than  a  month  had  gained  the  sovereignty  of 
Egypt,  was  an  unhappy  man.  False  rumors  of  the  in- 
fidelity of  Josephine  had  reached  him.  He  was  be- 
coming weary  of  the  conqueror's  laurels,  and  evidently 
had  hours  of  despondency  amid  the  grand  and  awful 
game  of  destiny  his  youthful  hand  was  playing.  He 
thus  wrote  emotions  known  to  not  one  of  all  his 
legions,  in  the  correspondence  with  his  elder  brother  : 

NAPOLEON  TO   JOSEPH. 

Cairo,  July  25, 1798. 

'  •  You  will  see  in  the  newspapers  the  result  of  our 
battles  and  the  conquest  of  Egypt,  where  we  found 


100  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

resistance  enough  to  add  a  leaf  to  the  laurels  of  this 
army.  Egypt  is  the  richest  country  in  tlie  world  for 
wheat,  rice.,  pulse,  and  meal.  Nothing  can  be  more 
barbarous.  There  is  no  money,  even  to  pay  the 
troops.  I  ma}'^  be  in  France  in  two  months.  J  recom- 
mend my  interests  to  you.  I  have  much  domestic 
distress.  Your  friendship  is  very  dear  to  me.  To 
become  a  misanthropist  I  have  only  to  lose  it,  and  find 
that  you  betray  me.  That  every  different  feeling  to- 
wards the  same  person  should  be  united  in  one  heart 
is  very  painful.* 

**  Let  me  have  on  my  arrival  a  villa  near  Paris  or 
in  Burgundy.  1  intend  to  shut  myself  up  there  for 
the  winter.  I  am  tired  of  human  nature.  1  want  soli- 
tude and  isolation.  Greatness  fatigues  me  ;  feeling  is 
dried  up.  At  twenty-nine  glory  has  become  flat.  I 
have  exhausted  everything.  I  have  no  refuge  but  pure 
selfishness.  1  shall  retain  my  house,  and  let  no  one 
else  occupy  it.  1  have  not  more  than  enough  to  live 
on.  Adieu,  my  only  friend.  1  have  never  been  unjust 
to  you,  as  you  must  admit,  though  1  may  have  wished 
to  be  so.  You  understand  me.  Love  to  your  wife  and 
to  J6r6me." 

The  soldiers  of  the  conqueror,  whose  heart  was  cor- 
roded with  ennui,  meanwhile  rioted  on  the  splendid 
spoils  of  the  slain  Mamelukes,  and  the  gathered  luxu- 
ries in  the  deserted  harems  and  gardens  of  the  chiefs. 
The  savans  did  not  forget  their  mission  among  the 
pyramids  and  other  monuments  of  antiquity.  Mapo- 
leon  entered  upon  extensive  plans  of  improvement  to 
the  country.     Canals  were  opened,  which  neglect  had 

*  The  suspicions  of  Josephine's  honor,  hinted  at  In  this  remarkable 
letter,  disturbed  Napoleon  during  the  whole  of  liis  Egyptian  campaign. 
Bourrienno  describes  his  distress  and  his  plans  of  divnrce  six  monthl 
afterwards,  in  consequence  of  some  information  from  Jimot. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  IQl 

closed,  and  means  devised  to  develop  the  resources  of 
Egypt. 

During  these  events,  Nelson  had  returned  from  his 
search,  to  the  coast,  where  lay  at  anchor  the  hunted 
fleet.  And  on  the  1st  of  August,  ten  days  after  the 
victory  under  the  shadow  of  the  pyramids,  the  English 
directed  their  prows  toward  the  curve  of  water  between 
the  enemy  and  the  shore — a  mode  of  attack  Admiral 
Brucyes  deemed  impossible,  on  account  of  his  prox- 
imity to  the  land.  Nelson's  plan  was  a  great  stroke  of 
naval  science ;  it  was  to  bring  his  adversary  between 
his  lines  of  cannonade,  and  embrace  them  in  his 
divided  fleet,  whose  greeting  would  be  the  volcanic 
fires  of  death.  For  twenty-four  hours  the  battle  raged, 
with  one  awful  interlude  at  midnight,  when  the 
rOrient  blew  up,  shaking  like  a  subterranean  earth- 
quake, the  land  and  sea.  Brueyes  perished ;  three 
thousand  men  were  slain,  and  five  thousand  taken 
prisoners  ;  and  two  riddled  ships  alone  escaped  to  pro- 
claim the  defeat  of  Aboukir. 

The  French  fleet  was  annihilated  ;  and  with  a  few 
more  frigates.  Nelson  might  have  entered  the  harbor 
of  Alexandria  and  taken  from  the  enemy  their  stores. 
As  it  was,  he  blockaded  the  coast,  and  made  Napoleou 
an  involuntary  exile — with  no  resources  but  his  arms, 
and  the  savage  country  he  had  invaded.  When  the 
intelligence  reached  him,  it  extorted  a  sigh,  and  with 
unruffled  dignity  and  composure,  he  remarked,  "To 
France  the  fates  have  decreed  the  empire  of  the  land 
— to  England  that  of  the  sea."  He  then  commenced 
the  reconstruction  of  the  government — established 
councils — maintained  law,  order,  and  justice  ;  and  soon 
commanded  the  homage,  respect,  and  admiration  of 
the  Moslem.  That  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  agri- 
culture, education,  and  internal  improvements,  is  un 


102     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

deniable.  It  alleviates  the  horrors  of  devastating 
conquest,  to  know  that  Napoleon  always  attempted  the 
elevation  and  progress  of  a  conquered  people.  But 
this  pleasant  view  of  his  triumphs,  does  not  change 
the  motives  he  avowed  in  the  beginning  of  the  Egyp- 
tian campaign — the  pursuit  of  glory — the  attainment  of 
unrivaled  power  and  renown. 

He  was  not  a  monster  of  cruelty — a  ruthless  invader 
— against  whom  the  kings  of  a  continent  conspired  in 
righteous  warefore  of  self-defense  ;  nor  was  he  a  Chris- 
tian hero — a  republican  patriot,  who  regarded  human 
life  and  destiny  for  two  worlds,  with  sacred  interest 
and  philanthropic  sympathy.  He  was  as  often  the 
assailed  as  the  aggressor,  and  monarchs  who  opposed 
him,  cared  more  for  their  crowns  and  empire,  than  for 
the  peace  and  freedom  of  Europe.  This  was  apparent 
in  the  joy  that  spread  over  the  despotic  realms,  when 
the  tidings  of  the  "  Battle  of  the  Nile  "  fell  on  the  ears 
of  the  haughty  rulers  of  the  servile  masses. 

Though  the  country  was  virtually  conquered,  the 
Mamelukes  were  not  all  submissive.  Mourad  Bey, 
with  thousands  of  his  horsemen,  was  in  upper  Egypt. 
Dessaix  went  there,  and  with  bloody  defeats  subdued 
them  ;  while  Napoleon  was  planning  in  thought,  and 
preparing  his  strength  to  beat  back  the  threatened 
armies  of  England  and  Turkey. 

Meanwhile  he  made  an  excursion  to  the  Red  Sea,  to 
survey  the  route  of  a  proposed  canal  to  connect  the 
Mediterranean  with  its  waters,  and  provide  a  defen'?e 
on  that  boundary  of  Egypt  against  the  Ottomans. 
Upon  one  occasion,  with  a  select  company,  he  ventured 
at  low  tide  upon  tlie  sand-flats  spreading  toward  the 
shores  of  Asia,  where,  tradition  has  it,  the  Hebrews 
passed  over  in  their  exodus  from  Egypt.  Savary,  who 
was  one  of  the  company,  relates  the  result  : 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  103 

"  The  night  overtook  us  ;  the  waters  began  to  rise 
around  us  ;  the  guard  in  advance  exclaimed  that  their 
horses  were  swimming.  Bonaparte  saved  us  all  by  one 
of  those  simple  expedients  which  occur  to  an  imperturb- 
able miud.  Placing  himself  in  the  center,  he  bade  all 
the  rest  form  a  circle  round  him,  and  then  ride  on,  each 
man  in  a  separate  direction,  and  each  man  to  halt  as 
soon  as  he  found  his  horse  swimming.  The  man  whose 
horse  continued  to  march  the  last,  was  sure,  he  said, 
to  be  in  the  right  direction  :  him  accordingly  we  all 
followed,  and  reached  Suez  at  two  in  the  morning  in 
safety,  though  so  rapidly  had  the  tide  advanced,  that 
the  water  was  at  the  poitrels  of  our  horses  ere  we  made 
the  land." 

Napoleon,  upon  his  return  to  Cairo,  with  intelligence 
confirming  the  tidings  of  the  allied  forces  sweeping 
through  the  Bosphorus  and  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar, 
to  concentrate  their  power  upon  the  African  coast, 
marched  with  ten  thousand  picked  soldiers  toward 
Syria,  to  attack  the  Turkish  armament  there,  before 
the  fleet  should  arrive  to  strengthen  their  arms.  He 
crossed  the  intervening  desert,  and,  "  took  possession 
of  the  fortress  El-Arish,  in  February,  whose  garrison, 
after  a  vigorous  assault,  capitulated  on  condition  that 
they  should  be  permitted  to  retreat  into  Syria,  pledging 
their  parole  not  to  serve  again  during  the  war.  Pur- 
suing his  march,  he  took  Gazah,  that  ancient  city  of 
the  Philistines  without  opposition  ;  but  at  Jaffa,  the 
Joppa  of  holy  writ,  the  Turks  made  a  resolute  defense. 
The  walls  were  carried  by  storm  ;  three  thousand  Turks 
died  with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  the  town  was  given 
up  during  three  hours  to  the  fury  of  the  French  soldiery 
— who  never,  as  Napoleon  confessed,  availed  themselves 
of  the  license  of  war  more  savagely  than  on  this  oc- 
casion." 


104     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Twelve  liundred  of  these  desperate  men,  who  poured 
down  their  fire  from  every  window  of  a  large  edifice, 
in  which  they  had  taken  shelter,  Avere  the  last  to  sur- 
render. They  proved  to  be  the  Turks  who  were  re- 
leased at  El-Arish,  and  had  been  faithless  to  their 
pledge  of  neutrality.  These,  after  consultation,  and 
repeated  murmurs  of  the  enraged  troops  at  the  delay, 
were  led  forth  under  General  Bon  among  the  sand-hills, 
and  formed  into  squares.  The  blazing  musketry  soon 
mowed  them  down,  and  their  bones  whiten  the  sands 
where  tliey  fell.  Much  has  been  said  of  this  slaughter, 
in  condemnation  of  Napoleon.  It  was  a  fearful  ex- 
termination, but  under  the  circumstances,  only  an 
incident  in  the  general  warfare  of  invasion.  The 
'murder  of  a  few  savage  soldiers,  when  to  leave  a  guard 
for  their  safekeeping  was  impossible,  and  their  faith- 
lessness rendered  any  other  disposal  of  them  perilous, 
while  an  indignant  army  demanded  the  sacrifice,  was 
comparatively  a  trivial  affair.  The  question  is  the 
right  and  justice  of  the  general  havoc  of  this  war  of 
conquest,  which  in  all  the  forms  of  fiercest  carnage 
and  suffering,  lined  the  path  of  victory  with  heaps  of 
the  dead.  To  anticipate  providence,  and  force  reform, 
or  cripple  an  allied  enemy  by  such  an  awful  waste  of 
human  life,  and  unrecorded  agonies,  is  a  kind  of  phi- 
lanthropy and  patriotism,  which  the  splendor  of  genius 
cannot  elevate  above  the  range  of  an  ambition,  that 
disguises  under  the  name  of  war,  the  wholesale  murder 
of  mankind. 

At  this  date,  the  middle  of  March,  1798,  the  plague 
broke  out  in  the  French  army  in  all  its  horrors.  The 
sufferers  grew  despairing — the  healthy  shrunk  from  the 
couch  of  pain — and  Najioleon  himself  went  to  the 
relief  of  the  grateful  soldier.  lie  M^alked  without  an 
emotion,  or  at  least  sign  of  fear  among  the  dying  and 


LIFE  OF  XAi'ULEON  BONAPARTE.  105 

the  dead  in  the  hospitals,  and  encouraged  the  victims 
to  hope  on,  and  be  of  good  courage.  Such  scenes  ex- 
hibit the  manly  nature  of  Bonaparte,  whose  apparent 
cruelty  was  the  unflinching,  iron  will,  which  without 
religious  control,  and  devoted  to  military  glory,  did 
not  turn  aside  for  a  barrier  of  snowy  summits,  nor 
when  the  price  of  victory  was  a  hecatomb  of  dead  men. 

A  formidable  resistance,  it  was  known,  would  be 
made  by  the  ferocious  Achmet,  pasha  of  Syria,  at 
Acre,  renowned  in  the  annals  of  the  crusades.  This 
bold  chief  spurned  all  inducements  offered  by  Napo- 
leon, to  abandon  the  Porte,  and  form  an  independent 
province  under  the  protection  of  France  ;  and  sent 
back  the  first  messenger  from  the  republican  invader. 
The  second  soldier  despatched  to  Achmet,  was  slain. 
Napoleon  prepared  to  lead  his  exasperated  troops 
against  the  fortified  city,  before  which.  Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  to  whom,  while  cruising  in  the  Levant,  the 
pasha  had  applied  for  aid,  appeared  v/ith  two  British 
ships  of  the  line.  He  unexpectedly  captured  on  the 
passage,  at  Mount  Carmel,  the  French  flotilla,  with  the 
weapons  of  siege — a  most  serious  loss  to  Napoleon. 
In  addition  to  these  unpromising  events.  Colonel  Phil- 
lippeaux,  a  classmate  at  Brienne,  but  a  royalist,  con- 
ducted with  skill  and  energy  the  plan  of  defense. 

March  18th,  Napoleon  opened  the  trenches.  For 
ten  days  he  continued  the  inefi:ectual  assault,  when  a 
breach  was  made,  into  which  the  French  rushed.  The 
garrison,  who  rallied  after  a  momentary  defeat  which 
so  enraged  the  daring  Djezzar,  who  commanded,  that 
he  hurled  his  pistols  at  the  heads  of  his  swaying  columns, 
swept  the  besiegers  back. 

Then  darkened  on  the  horizon  an  army  of  thirty 
thousand  Mussulmans,  from  the  mountains  of  Samaria, 
to  complete  the  defense  of  Acre.     At  Mount  Tabor, 


106  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

April  16tli,  Kleber  looked  suddenly  down  upon  the 
Turkish  army,  encamped  on  the  plains  of  ralestine. 
In  the  unclouded  sunrise,  it  was  a  splendid  pageant. 
A  shout  of  rage  and  defiance  rose  from  the  Turkish 
battalions.  After  a  bloody  conflict,  threatening  tlio 
extinction  of  Kleber's  band,  Napoleon  appeared  to  tlie 
rescue,  and  soon  the  turbaned  Turks  on  their  flying 
chargers  were  hastening  from  the  ensanguined  fleld. 
The  dashing  Murat,  ever  conspicuous  and  ostentatious 
in  his  unrivaled  bravery,  was  there,  his  white  plume 
streaming  through  the  thickest  cloud  of  battle.  And 
it  is  not  strange,  that  his  romantic  spirit  cauglit  the 
influence  of  the  sacred  place,  beneath  the  shadow  of 
a  mount  whereon  had  bowed  the  prophet  and  the  Son 
of  God.  He  said  afterward,  "  In  the  hottest  of  tliis 
terrible  fight  I  thought  of  Christ,  and  of  liis  transfigu- 
ration upon  this  very  spot,  two  thousand  years  ago, 
and  the  reflection  inspired  me  with  tenfold  courage 
and  strength."  Napoleon  returned  to  the  siege  of 
Acre,  on  the  issue  of  whieli  hinged  the  success  of  liis 
expedition.  He  said  to  Bourrienne,  "  The  fate  of  tlje 
East  depends  upon  the  capture  of  Acre.  That  is  the 
key  of  Constantinople  or  of  India.  If  wo  succeed  in 
taking  this  paltry  town,  I  shall  obtain  the  treasures 
of  tlie  pasha,  and  arms  for  three  hundred  thousand 
men."  Day  after  day,  the  murderous  work  went  on  ; 
and  explosions,  putrefaction,  and  disease,  added  their 
terrors  to  the  2)rotracted  conflict.  Sir  Sidney  Smith 
displayed  skill  and  courage  in  the  unyielding  strength 
of  his  resistance.  Wlien  sixty  days  had  passed,  mak- 
ing a  charnel-liouse  and  hospital  of  fortress  and  tent, 
the  repeated  assaults,  and  momentary  promise  of  vic- 
tory, were  followed  l:>y  retreat,  leaving  the  noblest 
officers  and  men  in  the  T'l-cnch  battalions  gliastly  forma 
of  blackened  corruption.     Just   then  a  Turkish  fleet 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  107 

with  twelve  thousand  men,  appeared  in  the  seaward 
horizon,  moving  down  upon  Acre,  to  reinforce  the  ex- 
ulting Djezzar.  Xapoleon  saw  the  case  was  hopeless. 
]{(,'  must  yield  to  that  destiny  which  he  worshiped  as 
a  blind,  resistless  force  bearing  him  onward,  whether 
to  victory  or  defeat,  and  for  the  first  time  abandon 
by  retreat  the  crimson  field  of  war.  May  21st,  1799, 
keeping  up  the  fire  of  assault  to  deceive  his  foes,  he 
led  his  army  toward  Jaffa.  The  following  was  his  ad- 
dress to  the  troops  :  "  Soldiers  !  you  have  traversed 
the  desert  which  separates  Asia  from  Africa,  with  the 
rapidit}^  of  an  Arab  force.  The  army  which  Avas  on 
its  way  to  invade  Egypt  is  destroyed.  You  have  taken 
its  general,  its  field  artillery,  camels,  and  baggage. 
You  have  captured  all  the  fortified  posts  which  secni-e 
the  wells  of  the  desert.  You  have  dispersed  at  Mount 
Tabor,  those  swarms  of  brigands  collected  irom  all 
parts  of  Asia,  hoping  to  share  the  plunder  of  Egyj)t. 
The  thirty  ships  which,  twelve  days  ago,  you  saw  en- 
ter the  port  of  Acre,  were  destined  for  an  attack  upon 
Alexandria.  But  you  compelled  them  to  hasten  to 
the  relief  of  Acre.  Several  of  their  standards  Avill  con- 
tribute to  adorn  your  triumphal  entry  into  Egyi)t. 
After  having  maintained  the  war,  with  a  handful  of 
men,  during  three  months  in  the  heart  of  Syria,  taken 
forty  pieces  of  cannon,  fifty  stands  of  colors,  six  thou- 
sand prisoners,  and  captured  or  destroyed  the  fortifica- 
tions of  Gaza,  Jaffa,  and  Acre,  we  prepare  to  returii 
to  Egypt,  where,  by  a  threatened  invasion,  our  pres- 
ence is  imperiously  demanded.  A  few  days  longer 
might  give  you  the  hope  of  taking  the  pasha  in  his 
palace;  but  at  this  season,  the  castle  of  Acre  is  not 
worth  the  loss  of  three  days,  nor  the  loss  of  those  brave 
soldiers  who  would  consequently  fall,  and  who  are 
necessary  for   more   essential   service.      Soldiers !    we 


108  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

have  yet  a  toilsome  and  a  perilous  task  to  perform. 
After  having  by  this  campaign  secured  ourselves  from 
attacks  from  the  eastward,  it  will  perhaps  be  necessary 
to  repel  efforts  winch  may  be  made  from  the  west." 

From  Jaffa,  Napoleon  marched  directly  to  Egypt. 
The  sickening  scenes  of  suffering  and  death,  before  de- 
scribed, in  their  passage  over  the  desert-sands,  were 
renewed.  And  no  exhibition  of  the  Satanic  and  brutal 
elements  of  war,  besides  the  murderous  strife,  was  ever 
more  shocking  than  that  transit  across  the  burning 
plain. 

*'  When  a  comrade,  after  quitting  his  ranks,  being 
stimulated  by  the  despair  of  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  Turks  or  Arabs,  yet  once  again  reared  himself  from 
the  burning  sand,  and  made  a  last  attempt  to  stagger 
after  the  column,  his  painful  and  ineffectual  efforts 
furnished  matter  for  military  merriment.  '  He  is 
drunk,'  said  one  ;  'his  march  will  not  be  a  long  one,' 
answered  another  ;  and  when  he  once  more  sank  help- 
less and  hopeless,  a  third  remarked,  '  Our  friend  has  at 
length  taken  up  his  quarters.'  It  is  not  to  be  omitted, 
that  Napoleon  did,  on  this  occasion,  all  that  became 
his  situation.  lie  yielded  his  last  horse  to  the  service 
of  the  moving  hospital ;  and  walked  on  foot,  by  the 
side  of  the  sick,  cheering  them  by  his  eye  and  his  voice, 
and  exhibiting  to  all  the  soldiery,  the  example  at  once 
of  endurance  and  of  compassion." 

Reaching  Cairo,  he  again  gave  his  attention  to  the 
political  interests  of  the  conquered  land  of  the  an- 
cient Pharaohs.  But  while  his  capacious  mind  was 
planning  governmental  bases  for  the  new  order  of 
things,  rumors  arose  of  the  descent  of  the  hej^s  of  the 
Upper  Nile,  and  of  the  foreign  allies  upon  the  coast  at  or 
near  Alexandria.  The  oriental  sky  thus  darkened  bove 
him,  and  his  anxious  thoughts  turned  toward  Franco, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  100 

from  which  for  several  months  lie  had  received  no 
tidings. 

It  was  an  evening  in  July,  when  walkiiig  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  Pyramids,  lie  descried  a  liorseman 
flying  over  the  plain.  He  proved  to  be  an  Arab,  witli 
despatches  from  Alexandria.  Eighteen  thousand  Turks 
had.  landed  there  ;  the  combined,  fleets  of  Russia, 
Turkey,  and  England,  were  in  the  bay,  and  Mourad 
Bey  with  a  JMameluke  force  from  Upper  Egypt,  was 
on  the  march  thither.  Leaving  Dessaix  in  command 
of  Cairo,  he  descended  the  Nile  with  rapid  flight, 
and  on  the  2oth  of  July,  at  nightfall,  reached  the 
enemy,  already  in  possession  of  Aboukir,  Looking 
toward  the  extended  camp  of  his  foes,  Napoleon  re- 
marked to  Murat,  "  Go  how  it  will,  the  battle  to- 
morrow will  decide  the  fate  of  the  world  !"  **0f  this 
army,  at  least,"  replied  Murat;  ''but  the  Turks  have 
no  cavalry,  and  if  ever  infantry  were  charged  to  the 
teeth  by  horse,  they  shall  be  so  by  mine." 

The  morning  dawned,  and  the  strife  began.  The 
outposts  yielded  to  the  valor  of  the  French,  but  the 
batteries  and  cannonade  of  the  ships  near  tlie  shore 
checked  their  advance.  Eout  might  have  followed  but 
for  the  eagerness  of  the  Turks  to  despoil  and  maim  tlie 
troops  that  fell  before  them.  Murat  improved  tlie 
moment,  and  charging  their  main  body  in  flank  with 
his  furious  and  fearless  cavalry,  spread  disorder  in  their 
ranks,  while  Napoleon  swept  with  his  infantry  through 
the  intrenchments.  Then  the  unsparing  massacre  be- 
came universal.  It  was  personal  combat,  till  the  ter- 
rified Turks  turned  from  the  storm  of  death,  which 
the  more  rapid  fire  of  the  French  poured  upon  their 
decimated  ranks.  They  plunged  by  thousands  head- 
long into  the  sea,  until  the  waters  were  covered  with 
floating  turbans,  and  red  with  blood.     Six  thousand 


110  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  liONAPARTE. 

surrendered  unconditionally^,  and  twelve  thousand  per- 
ished on  laud  and  in  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean. 
AV'hen  the  daring  Murat,  who  dashed  into  the  Turkish 
camp,  and  with  a  stroke  of  his  sword  disabled  Mus- 
tapha  Pacha,  the  general,  brought  the  haughty  Turk 
to  Napoleon,  the  victor  snid,  *'  It  has  been  your  fate  to 
lose  this  day  ;  but  I  will  take  care  to  inform  the  Sultan 
of  the  courage  with  which  you  have  contested  it." 
"  Spare  thyself  that  trouble,"  answered  the  proud 
pacha,  "  my  master  knows  me  better  than  thou." 

The  defeat  was  complete,  and  the  triumph  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  in  the  annals  of  war.  Napoleon, 
on  the  10th  of  August,  was  again  in  Cairo.  His  pur- 
pose of  leaving  Egypt  in  the  care  of  subordinates,  and 
embarking  for  France,  was  maturing.  Sir  Sidney 
Smith,  either  as  an  act  of  courtesy  or  to  annoy  his  ad- 
versary, sent  Napoleon  a  file  of  English  papers.  He 
learned  from  them  the  loss  of  Italy — the  uprising  in 
Eome,  which  threatened  the  life  of  Joseph — the  inva- 
sions, under  the  imbecile  Directory,  of  Switzerland  and 
Sardinia,  to  establish  republics  after  their  model — 
arousing  the  indignation  of  the  more  intelligent  repub- 
licans, the  royalists,  and  Catholics.  These  with  many 
other  discordant  elements,  and  imminent  perils  to 
France,  decided  Napoleon  to  hasten  to  its  coast.  His 
plan  was  communicated  only  to  Bourrienne,  Berthier, 
and  Gantheaume;  the  latter  immediately  got  ready 
the  frigates,  and  two  smaller  vessels  at  Alexandria. 
Departing  from  Cairo,  with  the  pretext  of  an  exjilora- 
tion  down  the  Nile,  with  his  selected  band  of  friends, 
he  crossed  the  desert,  and  arrived  at  Alexaiulria,  Au- 
gust 22d.  Then  he  apprised  the  company  of  his  de- 
sign to  return  to  France  ;  and  with  acclamation  they 
received  the  announcement.  Soon  after,  tlie  little 
fleet,  the  flying  representative   of  the   gallant    scpuul 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  HI 

ron  which  a  few  months  before  sailed  toward  that 
shore,  was  gliding  over  the  blue  waves  of  the  same 
unchanging  sea.  The  usual  converse — the  intellec- 
tual entertainments  the  master  spirit  always  gave — - 
and  other  incidents  of  a  voyage — transpired.  "We 
glance  onward  to  the  gorgeous  capital  to  which  Xa- 
poleon's  restless  thoughts  were  ever  turning,  from  the 
deck  of  his  fugitive  ship. 

Gohier,  President  of  the  Directory,  on  the  Dth  of 
October,  1799,  gave  a  splendid  levee,  embracing  the 
noble  and  the  beautiful  of  the  capital.  Josephine  was 
a  guest,  though  more  a  spectator  than  participant  in 
the  festivity  of  the  brilliant  occasion.  The  gifted  be- 
ing to  whom  her  tides  of  feeling  in  their  deepest  chan- 
nel, however  dark  or  shining  their  surface — however 
black  or  beaming  the  skies  above — were  as  obedient, 
as  the  sea  to  the  changeful  moon,  was  a  wanderer 
among  the  dead  and  dying  of  his  unrivaled  army,  or 
perhaps  gazing  in  vain  upon  the  wide  waters  for  a 
friendly  bark  to  bear  him  away.  The  am])le  enter- 
tainment went  forward — the  viands  disappeared,  and 
the  wine-cup  became  the  inspiration  of  wit,  and  the 
pledge  of  affection.  But  while  the  converse  of  excited 
genius  rang  out  in  sparkling  repartee,  and  beauty 
smiled,  suddenly  the  eye  of  Gohier  was  arrested  by  a 
telegraphic  line  which  checked  his  gaiety,  and  held 
the  throng  in  suspense.  With  a  serious  air,  he  re- 
peated the  announcement — ^'^  Bonaparte  landed  fJiis 
morning  at  Frejus."  The  strange  silence  of  that  star- 
tled assembly,  was  no  less  marked  than  when  the  first 
peal  of  a  rising  storm  and  its  shadows  cast  before, 
hushes  into  stillness  the  amphitheater  of  nature,  which 
rang  with  the  music  and  glee  of  spring-time. 

There  was  a  blending  of  vague  apprehension,  and 
wonder,  and  ]wpe.     The  multitude,  during  his  former 


112  LIFE  OF  NA.POLEON  BONAPARTE. 

campaigns,  had  begun  to  regard  the  rapid  and  almost 
miraculons  exertions  of  that  intellect,  embodied  in  ac- 
tion that  dwarfed  all  the  great  of  antiquity  into  com- 
mon men,  with  mysterious  awe ;  and  his  unexpected 
appearance  on  the  theater  he  seemed  to  have  deserted 
and  lost,  sent  a  wave  of  surprise  and  agitation  over 
these  rejoicing  hearts,  and  with  the  morning  light  over 
millions  more. 

Josephine  rose  upon  hearing  tlie  intelligence,  and 
with  suppressed  emotion  whispered  an  adieu  to  those 
about  her,  and  retired.  Her  design  was  instantly 
formed  of  meeting  him  on  his  way  to  Paris  ;  not  only 
to  hail  his  return,  but  efface  from  liis  mind  a  doubt  of 
her  iidelity,  before  it  was  graven  more  deeply  by  the 
enmity  of  those  who  envied  her  influence,  and  would 
rob  her  of  her  honors.  Accompanied  by  Hortense,  or 
as  is  affirmed  by  some  writers,  Louis  Bonaparte,  she 
hastened  with  the  speed  of  a  courier,  toward  Lyons. 
But  the  General  had  avoided  the  direct  route  she 
traveled,  and  passed  lier  of  course  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  either.  Alarmed,  she  flew  with  all  possible 
speed  to  the  metropolis  ;  but  she  was  too  late — the  hour 
of  midnight  which  brought  her  to  their  city  residence 
was  one  of  desolating  sorrow.  Napoleon  had  found 
his  home  a  solitude,  and  the  impression  this  unac- 
countable desertion,  relieved  only  by  the  gathering 
members  of  the  Bonaparte  family,  made  upon  his  spirit 
stained  with  jealousy,  and  worn  by  the  sufferings  of 
his  sad  adventures,  was  fearful,  and  never  forgotten. 
It  is  not  strange  the  sobbing  wife  was  sent  without  rec- 
ognition to  her  apartmeut,  to  weep  away  the  night  in 
agony.  There  nuiy  be  some  apology  for  him  in  the 
fact  that  society  in  decay  had  weakened  his  faitli  in  the 
morality  of  the  elite,  and  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
men  rendered  him  skeptical  whenever  self-interest  was 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  113 

tlie  stake,  with  regard  to  apparent  innocence,  or  cir- 
cumstantial evidence  against  deeds  which  his  own  ex- 
perience assured  hira  might  tarnish  the  escutcheon  of 
the  renowned.  His  estimate  therefore  of  human  nature 
was  not  high,  for  he  found  it  a  pliable  tiling  beneath 
his  molding  hand,  and  the  multitude  were  his  crea- 
tures, playing  their  part  in  his  elevation  to  disguised 
royalty  ;  which  like  a  distant  summit  robed  with  cloud, 
was  mistaken  for  something  that  they  admired,  and 
toward  which  they  were  impatiently  struggling,  to 
find  protection  and  repose. 

He  sternly  refused  to  see  Josephine,  who,  with  a 
bosom  bleeding,  waited  the  result  of  her  children's  elo- 
quence and  tears.  Two  long,  dreary  days  wore  away 
— the  wrathful  deep  of  a  mighty  mind  was  tranquil 
again — and  the  gentle  words  of  Hortense,  and  her 
swimming  eye,  with  the  manly  yet  touching  entreaty 
of  Eugene,  restored  the  wonted  tenderness  of  his  bet- 
ter moods.  He  stole  into  her  room,  and  found  the  wife 
of  his  youth  in  the  attitude  of  inconsolable  grief. 
Leaning  upon  tlie  table,  her  face  was  buried  in  her 
hands — the  warm  tears  were  dropping  from  her  deli- 
cate fingers  upon  the  letters  he  had  written  in  the  ful- 
ness of  affection,  while  convulsive  sobs  alone  disturbed 
the  stillness.  He  gazed  a  moment,  and  with  quivering 
lip,  murmured  "  Josephine  f'  She  looked  up  with  her 
soul  in  the  expression,  and  reading  in  his  pale  counte- 
nance the  evidence  of  a  milder  frame,  said  sweetly, 
"  mo)i  ami !  " — the  familiar  language  of  love.  He 
silently  extended  his  hand,  and  she  was  once  more  wel- 
comed to  the  embrace  and  confidence  of  Napoleon. 

He  now  lived  for  the  most  part  in  retirement  ;  di- 
viding the  honrs  between  domestic  society,  and  that 
profound  contemplation  with  which  he  always  matured 
his  magnificent  schemes.     He  valued,  and  cheerfully 


114  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

acknowledged  the  discriminating  judgment  and  obser- 
vation of  Josephine,  both  during  his  absence  in  Egypt, 
and  while  enjoying  tliat  prelude  to  the  eventful  changes 
which  soon  after  paved  his  way  to  a  throne. 

He  found  France  retrograding  in  every  respect. 
The  Congress  of  Rastadt  had  resulted  in  the  assassina- 
tion of  French  plenipotentiaries,  and  open  war.  Su- 
warrow  with  his  battalions  had  overswept  Italy,  and 
taken  from  him  his  miniature  republics.  On  nearly 
all  of  the  national  boundaries  the  foe  hung  menacingly, 
glorying  over  the  spoils  of  victory,  and  to  complete  the 
discord  and  danger,  the  Directory,  distracted  by  the 
conflict  of  royalty  with  extreme  republicanism,  was  the 
centralization  of  anarchy  and  imbecility  rather  than  of 
power  and  dignity.  There  was  necessarily  almost  uni- 
versal discontent,  and  poor  France  turned  with  disgust 
from  that  substitute  for  appalling  terrorism — the  op- 
pressive mockery  of  a  republic. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  115 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Napoleon  in  Paris.— The  18th  Brumaire. — Napoleon  at  St.  Cloud. — ^The 
consular  government. — The  motives  of  Napoleon. — Reforms. — The  new 
constitution. — Napoleon  at  the  Tuilleries.— Josephine. — Personal  appear- 
ance of  the  first  consul. — News  of  Washington's  death.— The  Bourbons. 
— Napoleon's  policy. — Propositions  of  peace  with  England. — Correspond- 
ence.— Causes  of  war. — Movements  of  the  armies. — Capitulation  of 
Genoa.— Napoleon  at  Marengo. — The  battle. — The  results. — Napoleon  at 
Milan.— Renewed  hopes  of  the  Bourbons. — A  new  campaign.- Battle  of 
Hohenlinden. — The  emperor  sues  for  peace.— Napoleon  returns. — His 
work  of  reform  of  national  advancement. — The  infernal  machine. — The 
spring  of  1801.— The  battle  of  Copenhagen.— The  English  take  Egypt.— 
Invasion  of  England.— Peace  of  Amiens. — Letters.— Napoleon's  designs 
of  reform.— Treaty  with  the  Pope. — Legion  of  honor.-- -Consulate  for 
life. — Colonial  conquests.- -Napoleon  and  the  invasion  of  Haj'ti. 

Xapoleon  retired  again  to  liis  quiet  dwelling  in  the 
Rue  de  la  Vidoire,  to  contemplate  the  events  of  the 
i:)ast,  and  wait  for  the  moment  in  the  future,  -when  the 
reins  of  government  might  be  safely  seized.  He  was 
conscious  of  the  capacity  to  govern  France,  and  of  the 
sympathies  of  the  people.  His  purpose,  which  had  for 
many  years  been  unfolding  in  his  gigantic  mind,  was 
now  matured.  Yet  was  there  iircliminary  work  to  be 
done,  before  the  decisive  blow  was  given,  which  should 
crash  the  Directory,  and  sweep  away  the  Council  of 
the  Ancients  and  of  the  Five  Hundred.  Besides,  Ber- 
nadotte  was  opposed  to  him,  and  Moreau  was  likely  to 
resist  his  power.  In  a  conversation  with  Moreau,  Xa- 
poleon  used  language  which  briefly  explains  his  mar- 
vels of  military  prowess,  and  shows  his  unsurpassed 
knowledge  of  the  universal  principles  of  human  ac- 
tion. '*'  It  was  always  the  inferior  force  which  was 
defeated  by  the  superior.  When  with  a  small  body 
of  men  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  large  one,  collecting 


n6  LIFii  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

my  little  band,  I  fell  like  lightning  on  tlie  wings  of 
the  hostile  army,  and  defeated  it.  Profiting  by  the 
disorder  which  such  an  event  never  failed  to  occasion 
in  their  whole  line,  I  repeated  the  attack,  with  similar 
success,  in  anotlier  quarter,  still  with  my  whole  force. 
Thus  I  beat  it  in  detail.  The  general  victory  which 
was  the  result,  was  still  an  example  of  the  truth  of  the 
principle,  that  the  greater  force  defeats  the  lesser." 
When  he  appeared  first  at  Louxembourg,  he  was  wel- 
comed with  enthusiastic  expressions  of  devotion.  Not 
a  murmur  arose  over  his  flight  from  Egypt.  His 
studied  and  mysterious  reserve  did  not  cool  the  ardor 
of  the  people.  He  accepted  an  invitation  to  a  public 
dinner,  gave  a  toast — "  The  union  of  all  parties" — and 
retired.  The  parties,  besides  the  subdued  royalists, 
were  the  Jacobins,  under  Barras,  and  the  moderates,  or 
republicans,  led  by  Sieyes  ;"both  of  which  sought  an 
alliance  with  Napoleon,  whose  influence  would  be  a 
tower  of  strength.  He  chose  the  latter,  as  better  suited 
to  his  grand  design.  His  brotlier  Lucien  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred,  uho,  with  the 
shrewd  and  unprincipled  Talleyrand,  was  his  confix 
dential  friend.  The  17th  Brumaire  (November  8th, 
1799)  came,  and  witli  it  the  distinct  and  ominous  to- 
kens of  civil  commotion.  Tlie  dragoons,  the  oflficers 
of  the  national  guard,  and  of  the  garrison,  who  had  re- 
quested an  interview  with  Napoleon,  on  the  evening  of 
that  day  were  astir  with  excitement  ;  Napoleon  had 
named  the  next  morning  for  tlieir  reception  at  the  Eue 
de  la  Yictoirc.  The  ISth  Brumaire  dawned  ;  and  at 
six  o'clock  the  military  bands  were  moving  toward  the 
humble  residence  of  Napoleon,  marching  to  the  strains 
of  martial  music,  which  drew  the  populace  in  throngs 
along  the  streets.  Bcrnadotte  was  there  in  cif.izen's 
dress.     Having  desired  Napoleon's  arrest  as  a  deserter 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  117 

upon  his  arrival  from  Egypt,  he  refnsed  all  the  proposals 
to  join  the  new  piirty,  and  left  the  splendid  cavalcade 
around  the  man  who  had  little  cause  to  fear  his  hos- 
tility, with  the  promise,  that  as  a  citizen  he  would  do 
nothing  against  him.  The  Council  of  the  Ancients 
assembled  at  the  Tuilleries,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  the  president  declared  the  necessity  of 
bold  measures  to  save  the  republic  ;  and  announced 
two  decrees  for  immediate  adoption.  One  was  to  re- 
move their  sittings  to  the  chateau  of  St.  Cloud,  a  few 
miles  from  the  capital  ;  and  the  other  conferred  upon 
Xapoleon  the  supreme  command  of  all  the  military 
force  in  and  around  Paris.  The  motions  j^assed,  and 
the  tidings  were  carried  to  Napoleon.  Mounting  a 
steed  he  rode  off  to  the  Tuilleries,  to  finish  the  victory 
so  nearly  won.  He  addressed  the  Council  in  these 
words  :  "  You  are  the  wisdom  of  the  nation  ;  I  come, 
surrounded  by  the  generals  of  the  republic,  to  promise 
you  their  support.  Let  us  not  lose  time  in  looking  for 
precedents.  Nothing  in  history  resembled  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  century — nothing  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury resembled  this  moment.  Your  wisdom  has  de- 
vised the  necessary  measure  ;  our  arms  shall  put  it 
in  execntion." 

While  these  scenes  were  transpiring  at  the  Rue  de  la 
Victoire  and  St.  Cloud,  the  three  Directors,  who  were 
not  dreaming  of  a  revolution,  awoke  as  from  a  deep 
sleep  to  the  crisis.  Moulins  suggested  that  they  send 
a  battalion  of  troops,  surround  Xapoleon's  house,  and 
take  him  prisoner.  But  he  was  already  in  the  palace, 
encircled  by  devoted  and  brave  men  in  arms.  Barras 
sent  his  secretar}-  »v^itli  an  appeal  to  Xapoleon,  and  re- 
ceived the  haughty  reply  :  "  What  have  you  done  for 
that  fair  France  which  I  left  you  so  prosperous  ?  For 
peace,  I  find  war  ;  for  the  wealth  of  Italy,  taxation  and 


llg  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

misery.  Where  are  the  one  hundred  thousand  brave 
French  whom  I  knew — where  are  the  companions  of  my 
glory? — They  are  dead."  Sieyes  and  Ducos  had  re- 
signed, and  now  Barras,  dreading  the  exposure  of  his 
corruption  and  bribery,  followed. 

Bernadotte,  whose  pledge  did  not  allow  of  active  hos- 
tility  as  a  citizen,  offered  his  command  to  the  opposition, 
urging  that  would  give  the  troops  a  choice  of  leaders. 
The  offer  was  rejected,  and  the  Directory  of  France 
passed  away  before  the  advancing  power  of  Napoleon. 
The  Council  of  Five  Hundred  only  remained.  When 
they  heard  of  the  decree  which  changed  their  place  of 
meeting  to  St.  Cloud,  they  separated,  indignantly  shout- 
ing, ''Vive  la  Ee2n(bh'qne ! "  "Vive  la  Constitu- 
tion!"  Next  morning,  attended  by  all  who  sympa- 
thized with  them,  they  repaired  for  a  final  struggle  to 
St.  Cloud.  Napoleon  was  in  the  Tuilleries,  the  soldiers 
ready  for  action,  and  the  people  anxiously  waiting  the 
issue  of  these  far-reaching  events.  Murat  led  a  for- 
midable force  to  the  arena  of  civil  strife.  On  the  19th 
Brumairo,  the  assemblies  gathered  to  their  chambers. 

"  The  Council  of  Ancients  were  ushered  into  the 
Gallery  of  Mars,  and,  the  minority  having  by  this  time 
recovered  from  their  surprise,  a  stormy  debate  forth- 
with commenced,  touching  the  events  of  the  preceding 
day.  Bonajiarte  entered  the  room,  and,  by  permission 
of  the  subservient  president,  addx-essed  the  assembly. 
'  Citizens,' said  he,  'you  stand  over  a  volcano.  Let  a 
soldier  tell  the  truth  frankly.  I  was  quiet  in  my  homo 
when  this  council  summoned  me  to  action.  I  obeyed  : 
I  collected  my  brave  comrades,  and  placed  the  arms  of 
my  country  at  the  service  of  you  who  are  its  head.  We 
are  repaid  witli  calumnies — they  talk  of  Cromwell — of 
Caesar.  Had  1  aspired  at  power  the  opportunity  was 
mine   ere  now.     I  swear  that  France  holds  no  more 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  119 

devoted  patriot.  Dangers  surround  us.  Let  us  not 
hazard  the  advantages  for  which  we  have  paid  so  dear- 
ly— Liberty  and  Equality!'  A  democratic  member, 
Jjinglet,  added  aloud,  *  And  the  Constitution.'  *  The 
C'onstitution  ! '  continued  Napoleon — '  it  has  been  thrice 
violated  already — all  parties  have  invoked  it — each  in 
turn  has  trampled  on  it :  since  that  can  be  preserved 
no  longer,  let  us,  at  least,  save  its  foundations — Liberty 
and  Equality.  It  is  on  you  only  that  I  rely.  The 
Council  of  Five  Hundred  would  restore  the  Convention, 
the  popular  tumults,  the  scaffolds,  the  reign  of  terror. 
I  will  save  you  from  such  horroi's — I  and  my  brave 
comrades,  whose  swords  and  caps  I  see  at  the  door  of 
this  hall ;  and  if  any  liireling  prater  talks  of  outlawry, 
to  those  swords  shall  I  appeal.'  The  great  majority 
were  with  him,  and  he  left  them  amid  loud  cries  of 
*  Vive  Bonaparte  !  ^ 

"  A  far  different  scene  was  passing  in  the  hostile  as- 
sembly of  the  Five  Hundred.  When  its  members  at 
length  found  their  way  into  the  Orangery,  the  apart- 
ment allotted  for  them,  a  tumultuous  clamor  arose  on 
every  side.  Live  the  Constitution! — Tlie  Constitution 
or  death! — Down  ivith  the  Dictator f^SiWch.  were  the 
ominous  cries.  Lucien  Bonaparte,  the  president,  in 
vain  attempted  to  restore  order  :  the  moderate  orators 
of  the  Council  wath  equal  ill  success  endeavored  to  gain 
a  hearing.  In  the  midst  of  the  tumult  Napoleon  him- 
self, accompanied  by  four  grenadiers,  walked  into  the 
chamber — the  doors  remained  open,  and  plumes  and 
swords  were  visible  in  dense  array  behind  him.  His 
grenadiers  halted  near  the  door,  and  he  advanced  alone 
toward  the  center  of  the  gallery.  Then  arose  a  fierce 
outcry — Draion  sioords  in  the  sanctuarij  of  the  laws! — 
Oiitlaiury! — Outlaiory  ! — Let  liim  be  proclaimed  a  trai- 
tor!—  Was  it  for  tills  you  gained  so  many   victories? 


320  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Many  members  rushed  npon  the  intruder,  and,  if  we 
may  place  confidence  in  his  own  tale,  a  Corsican 
deputy,  by  name  Arena,  aimed  a  dagger  at  his  throat. 
At  all  events,  there  was  sucii  an  appearance  of  per- 
sonal danger  as  fired  the  grenadiers  behind  him.  They 
ri«hed  forward,  and  extricated  him  almost  breathless ; 
and  one  of  their  number  (Thome)  was  at  least  rewarded 
on  the  score  of  his  having  received  a  wound  meant  for 
the  general. 

"It  seems  to  be  admitted,  that  at  this  moment,  the 
iron  nerves  of  Bonaparte  were,  for  once,  shaken.  With 
the  dangers  of  the  field  he  was  familiar — he  had  not 
been  prepared  for  the  manifestations  of  this  civil  rage. 
He  came  out,  staggering  and  stammering,  among  the 
soldiery,  and  said,  '  I  offered  them  victory  and  fame, 
and  they  have  answered  me  with  daggers.* 

*'  Sieyes,  an  experienced  observer  of  such  scenes, 
was  still  on  horseback  in  the  court,  and  quickly  reas- 
sured him.  General  Augereau  came  up  but  a  moment 
afterward,  and  said — *  You  have  brought  yourself  into 
a  pretty  situation.'     •  Augereau,'  ansvrered  Napoleon, 

*  things  were  worse  at  Areola.  Be  quiet ;  all  tliis  will 
soon  right  itself.'     He  then  harangued  the  soldiery — 

*  1  have  led  you  to  victory,  to  fame,  to  glory.  Can  I 
count  upon  you  ? '  *  Yes,  yes,  we  swear  it,'  was  the 
answer  that  burst  from  every  line — *  Vive  Bona- 
parte ! ' 

**  In  the  Council,  meantime,  the  commotion  had  in- 
creased on  the  retreat  of  Napoleon.  A  general  cry 
arose  for  a  sentence  of  outlawry  against  him  ;  and 
Lucien,  the  president,  in  vain  appealed  to  tlie  feelings 
of  nature,  demanding  that,  instead  of  being  obliged  to 
put  that  question  to  the  vote,  lie  might  bo  heard  as  the 
advocate  of  his  brother.  He  was  clamorously  refused, 
and  in  indignation  flung  off  tlie  insignia  of  his  office. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  121 

Some  grenadiers  once  more  entered,  and  carried  him 
also  out  of  the  place. 

"The  president  found  the  soldiery  without  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement.  lie  immediately  got  upon  horse- 
back, tliat  he  might  be  seen  and  heard  the  better,  and 
exclaimed  :  '  General  Bonaparte,  and  you,  soldiers  of 
France,  the  president  of  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred 
announces  to  you  that  factious  men  with  daggers  in- 
terrupt the  deliberations  of  the  senate.  lie  authorizes 
you  to  employ  force.  The  assembly  of  Five  Hundred 
is  dissolved.' 

"  Xapoleon  desired  Le  Clerc  to  execute  the  orders  of 
the  president ;  and  he,  with  a  detachment  of  grenadiers, 
forthwith  marched  into  the  hall.  Amid  the  reiterated 
screams  of  '  Vive  la  Repiihlique,'  which  saluted  their 
entrance,  an  aid-de-camp  mounted  the  tribune,  and 
bade  the  assembly  disperse.  '  Such,'  said  he,  'are  the 
orders  of  the  general.'  Some  obeyed  ;  others  renewed 
their  shouting,  T'he  drums  drowned  their  voices. 
'Forward,  grenadiers,*  said  Le  Clerc;  and  the  men 
leveling  their  pieces  as  if  for  the  charge,  advanced. 
When  the  bristling  line  of  bayonets  at  length  drew 
near,  the  deputies  lost  heart,  and  the  greater  part  of 
them,  tearing  off  their  scarfs,  made  their  escape,  with 
very  nndignified  rapidity,  by  way  of  the  windows. 
The  apartment  was  cleared.  It  was  thus  that  Bona- 
parte, like  Cromwell  before  him, 

"  '  Tiu'n'd  out  the  members,  and  made  fast  the  door. 

Some  of  his  military  associates  proposed  to  him,  that 
the  unfriendly  legislators  should  be  shot,  man  by  man, 
as  they  retreated  through  the  gardens  ;  but  to  this  he 
would  not  for  a  moment  listen. 

**Luclen  Bonaparte  now  collected  the  wio^^era^d  mem- 


122  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

bers  of  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  ;  and  that  small 
minority,  assuming  the  character  of  the  assembly,  com- 
municated with  the  Ancients  on  such  terms  of  mutual 
understanding,  that  there  was  no  longer  any  diflRculty 
about  giving  the  desired  coloring  to  the  events  of  the 
day.  It  was  announced,  by  proclamation,  that  a  scene 
of  violence  and  uproar,  and  the  daggers  and  pistols  of  a 
band  of  conspirators,  in  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred, 
had  suggested  the  measures  ultimately  resorted  to. 
These  were — the  adjournment  of  the  two  Councils  until 
the  middle  of  February  next  ensuing  ;  and  the  depo- 
sition meantime,  of  the  whole  authority  of  the  state  in 
a  provisional  consulate — the  consuls  being  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  Sieyes,  and  Ducos. 

"^Thus  terminated  the  19th  of  Brumaire.  One  of 
the  greatest  revolutions  on  record  in  the  history  of  the 
world  was  accomplished,  by  means  of  swords  and  bay- 
onets unquestionably,  but  still  without  any  effusion  of 
blood.  From  that  hour  the  fate  of  France  was  deter- 
mined." 

Napoleon  immediately  returned  to  Paris,  and  com- 
municated to  the  waiting,  anxious  Josephine  the  tidings 
of  that  day's  decisive  scenes  ;  the  convulsive  throes  in 
which  a  monarchy  was  born  of  a  monster  republic. 
After  a  cordial  embrace,  he  said  to  her  triumphantly, 
*' Good  night,  my  Josephine  !  To-morrow  we  sleep  in 
the  palace  of  the  Louxembourg." 

The  next  morning,  the  consuls  met  in  council. 
Napoleon  displayed  his  versatile  talent,  by  the  superi- 
ority of  his  knowledge  on  all  questions  of  governmental, 
civil,  and  social  reform.  And  the  words  of  Sieyes, 
when  he  returned  to  his  house,  where  Talleyrand  and 
others  were  assembled,  fell  like  a  knell  ujion  their  ears  ; 
and  their  ambition  to  divide  the  power  with  Napoleon 
vanished   forever.     ''  Gentlemen,''  he    exclaimed,  "  1 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BONAPARTE,  123 

perceive  that  you  have  got  a  master.  Bonaparte  can  do, 
and  will  do  everything  himself."  Then  thoughtfully 
pausing  a  few  moments,  he  added,  "  But  it  is  better  to 
submit  than  to  jjrotract  dissension  forever. '* 

This  stride  of  the  Corsican  General,  not  yet  tliirty 
years  old,  toward  the  summit  of  absolute  rule,  has  been 
the  theme  of  bitterest  condemnation,  aud  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  questions  to  rightly  consider  and  justly 
settle,  in  all  his  surprising  career.  That  France  was 
not  prepared  for  the  rational  construction  and  enjoy- 
ment of  a  republic  like  our  own,  cannot  be  denied. 
And  further,  that  w'earied  with  ten  years  of  successive 
revolutions,  and  new  constitutions  the  masses  were  ready 
for  any  form  of  stable  authority,  under  the  disguise  of 
freedom,  is  equally  clear.  On  the  other  hand  Napoleon 
was  ambitious,  and  without  an  effort  to  mold  into  form 
and  durability  the  elements  of  democratic  government, 
he  dissolved  the  legislative  assemblies,  and  by  a  resort  to 
arms,  which  if  opposed  might  have  ended  in  sanguinary 
civil  war,  crushed  out  every  germ  of  a  republican  state  ; 
and  sat  down  upon  a  throne,  which  the  populace  did 
not  at  first  behold,  because  obscured  bj'  the  satellites 
he  kept  in  servile  evolutions  between  it  and  those  w^ho 
bowed  before  their  idol. 

Dizzy  and  dazzled  with  his  own  premature  greatness, 
Xapoleon  doubtless  believed  he  was  doing  the  best  for 
France,  while  bringing  her  under  the  undisjouted  sway  of 
his  transcendent  genius.  But  he  was  responsible  for  the 
absence  of  those  moral  qualities,  that  enlightened  con- 
science, and  regard  to  man  as  possessed  of  inalienable 
rights,  and  sighing  the  world  over  for  freedom,  w'hich 
gave  the  world  a  Washington.  How  great  the  temp- 
tation to  the  Father  of  American  liberty  at  one  crisis  in 
the  great  struggle,  to  become  a  king  ;  and  how  indig- 
nantly he  spurned  it,  aud  would  rather  have  been  a  bleed- 


124  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

mg  sacrifice  upon  the  demolished  altar  of  freedom,  than 
grace  a  throne  of  willing  subjects.  Napoleon  has  been 
maligned  by  English  historians,  but  "  no  sorcery  of 
words,"  nor  admiration  of  the  biographer,  can  make 
him  compare,  only  in  glaring  contrast,  with  the  youth- 
ful chieftain  of  Valley  Forge,  and  the  sage  of  Mount 
Vernon. 

Napoleon,  with  no  opposition  but  the  hatred  of  the 
powerless  Jacobins,  set  about  the  reorganization  of  the 
empire,  and  the  administration  of  its  chaotic  affairs. 
The  first  act  of  the  consuls  was  to  arrange  the  finances 
of  the  nation,  which  were  in  a  disordered  and  burden- 
some condition.  Twenty-five  per  cent,  was  added  to 
the  regular  taxes,  and  the  revenue  fixed  on  a  systematic 
basis  of  income  and  expenditure.  The  "  Law  of  Hos- 
tages "  which  confined  multitudes  of  innocent  people 
in  jirison,  on  account  of  the  real  or  imagined  crimes  of 
their  exiled  friends,  was  wiped  out  of  the  statute  book, 
and  the  captives  ushered  into  the  light  of  day.  The 
humane  deed  spread  joy  over  France,  and  increased  the 
l^opularity  of  Napoleon.  The  next  and  most  honorable 
stroke  of  policy,  was  the  reopening  of  the  Christian 
temples  for  religious  worship,  in  the  face  of  that 
skeptical,  materialistic  philosophy  which  has  ever  been 
the  curse  of  the  nation,  and  was  imported  into  the 
heritage  of  the  noble  pilgrims,  from  that  fair  land, 
during  the  revolutionary  Avar.  Without  a  belief  in 
the  personality,  holiness,  and  power  of  God,  and  the 
spiritual  worship  and  religious  institutions  which  attend 
it,  a  republic  never  did  long,  and  never  can  permanently 
exist.  Napoleon  understood  this  want  among  a  people, 
although  he  was  not  a  Christian.  He  carried  the  meas- 
ure, restoring  nominally  Christianity  on  the  ground 
of  its  utility — the  necessity  of  it  in  the  progress  and 
control  of  a  great  nation,     lie  secured  immediately  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  125 

devoted  fidelity  of  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  of 
the  clergy  who  had  pined  for  months  or  years  in  prison. 
Shipwrecked  exiles  were  set  free.  Lafayette  and 
other  conspicuous  revolutionists  v/ho  had  been  banished, 
were  recalled — of  whom  Carnot  was  made  secretary  of 
war,  and  soon  showed  the  wisdom  of  tlie  choice  by  his 
reforms  in  the  army,  which  the  neglect  of  the  Directory 
had  weakened  and  divided.  The  time  had  arrived  for 
tlie  formation  and  announcement  of  a  new  government 
for  the  people.  Sieyes  presented  a  plan  to  Xapoleon, 
in  which  the  chief  magistrate  was  to  be  styled  grand 
Elector — having  a  splendid  salary  but  only  the  form 
of  authority.  N'apoleon,  with  contempt,  rejected  the 
proposal,  and  the  following  constitution  in  substance 
was  accepted  December  14,  1799: 

"  Three  assemblies  shall  be  composed  of  persons 
chosen  from  the  notables  of  France,  viz. — 1.  The 
Conservative  Senate,  consisting  (at  first)  of  twenty-four 
men,  of  forty  years  of  age,  to  hold  their  places  for  life, 
and  receive,  each,  a  salary  equal  to  one-twentieth  of 
that  of  the  chief  consul :  2.  The  Tnhnnate,  to  be  com- 
posed of  one  hundred  men,  of  twenty-five  years  of  age 
and  upwards,  of  whom  one-fifth  go  out  every  year,  but 
re-eligible  indefinitely  ;  the  salary  of  each,  15,000 
francs  :  and,  3dly,  Tlie  Legislative  Senate,  composed  of 
three  hundred  members,  of  thirty  years  of  age,  renew- 
able by  fifths  every  year,  and  having  salaries  of  10,000 
francs.  The  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  three 
consuls,  chosen  individually,  as  chief  consul,  second, 
and  third  ;  the  two  former  for  ten  years,  the  last  for 
five.  In  order  that  the  administration  of  affairs  may 
have  time  to  settle  itself,  the  tribunate  and  legislative 
senate  shall  remain  as  first  constituted  for  ten  years, 
without  any  re-elections.  "With  the  same  view  of 
avoiding  discussions  during    the    unsettled    state  of 


126  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

opinion,  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  conservative 
senate  are  for  the  present  appointed  b}^  the  consuls, 
Sieyes  and  Ducos,  going  out  of  office,  and  the  consuls, 
Canibaceres  and  Lebrun,  about  to  come  into  office  ; 
they  shall  be  held  to  be  duly  elected,  if  the  public 
acquiesce;  and  proceed  to  fill  up  their  own  number 
and  to  nominate  the  members  of  the  tribunate  and 
legislative  senate.  The  acts  of  legislation  shall  be  pro- 
posed by  the  consuls  :  the  tribunate  shall  discuss  and 
propound  them  to  the  legislative  senate,  but  not  vote: 
the  legislative  senate  shall  hear  the  tribunate,  and  vote, 
but  not  clehate  themselves  ;  and  the  act  thus  discussed 
and  voted  shall  become  law  on  being  promulgated  by 
the  chief  consul.  Bonaparte  is  nominated  chief  consul, 
Cambaceres  (minister  of  justice)  second,  and  Lebrun 
third  consul." 

The  first  consul  was  virtually  sole  regent,  Avhose 
authority,  by  the  confirmation  of  the  legislative  body, 
was  nearly  dictatorial.  He  was  elected  for  ten  years, 
and  was  re-eligible,  lie  was  also  irresponsible,  and 
appointed  all  the  employes  of  peace  and  war.  He  was 
tlie  head  of  the  army.  By  the  organ  of  the  council  of 
state,  and  of  the  ministry,  who  were  entirely  dej)end- 
ent  on  him,  he  had  the  right  of  proposing  laws.  He 
controlled  the  finance,  police,  war,  peace  and  alliances. 
Indeed  the  checks  upon  suin'eme  rule  were  rather  ap- 
parent than  real. 

Finding  his  republican  residence  too  small  for  his 
court  and  ambition,  he  obtained  a  removal  of  the  con- 
sular domicil  to  the  Tuilleries,  altliough  the  very 
center  of  kingly  associations,  and  of  that  hated  pomp 
which  the  people  had  trodden  in  the  dust  with  the 
blood  of  their  monarch.  Everything  opposed  to  the 
leveling  democracy  was  proposed  and  carried  forward 
under   disguise.      The   ancient   halls    of   royalty   were 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  127 

named  tjie  Government  Palace,  and  given  into  the 
hands  of  rulers  whose  chief  wore  in  place  of  a  crown 
a  conqueror's  cockade,  and  for  a  scepter  a  sword  which 
he  grasped  with  more  devotion  than  ever  did  a  despot 
the  symbol  of  power. 

The  occasioii  of  this  transfer  was  one  of  great  splendor 
— resembling  an  English  coronation  in  the  ceremony  and 
jubilant  festivity  of  the  scene.  The  consul's  tried  and 
brave  companions  in  arms  were  many  of  them  in  the 
train  which  delighted  to  do  him  honor.  The  troops 
dashed  proudly  along  the  streets,  the  banners  were 
flung  out  on  the  breath  of  departing  winter — and  the 
swell  of  martial  music  led  on  the  excited  cavalcade  to 
the  silent  apartments  made  desolate  by  the  Reign  of 
Terror.  Upon  their  walls  was  engraved  in  golden  let- 
ters, the  word  Repnhlic — completing  the  deception 
Avhich  calmed  the  fears  of  the  masses  unconsciously 
rendering  homage  to  Jupiter,  while,  as  they  supposed, 
bowing  to  the  goddess  of  liberty. 

The  evening  of  this  memorable  day  brought  the  arena 
of  Josephine's  glory.  The  spacious  drawing-rooms  oc- 
cupied by  her  were  crowded  by  eight  o'clock  with  the 
beauty  and  chivalry  of  France.  Foreign  ambassadors 
in  decorations  that  were  indices  of  the  courts  that  they 
represented,  veteran  officers,  and  the  remnant  of  an 
ancient  nobility,  all  assembled  to  congratulate  the  hero 
of  Egypt  and  Italy,  upon  his  accession  to  the  guardian- 
sHip^rtheir  beloved  France.  Beautiful  women  in  rich 
apparel  and  with  jeweled  brows,  shed  the  light  of  their 
admiring  eyes  upon  the  flashing  star,  coronet,  and 
plume,  that  were  the  attractive  insignia  of  greatness  in 
that  gay  assembly.  The  horrors  of  civil  war  which  for 
ten  years  had  agitated  and  ravaged  the  realm  were 
forgotten — the  dead  slumbered  in  the  covered  caves  of 
their  hurried  burial — the  guillotine  had  ceased  to  haunt 


128  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAETE. 

the  ear  with  the  ominous  echo  of  its  frequent  stroke, 
and  the  nation's  heart  beat  once  more  freely  beneath 
the  protecting  £egis  of  that  single  arm,  which  had  hewn 
down  the  riotous  mob,  annihilated  armies,  then  over- 
throwing a  miserable  government,  in  the  name  of  a 
citizen  had  taken  the  reins  of  supreme  dictation  over 
a  submissive  and  delighted  jieople. 

The  illusion  was  successful  that  met  their  observa- 
tion in  all  this  outward  parade.  The  fine  talents  of 
untitled  heroes,  and  the  sjjlendor  that  outshone  the 
gaudy  machine  of  Bourbon  oppression,  pleased  ex- 
ceedingly the  multitude,  who  seemed  to  be  in  the  as- 
cendant— while  the  royalists  read  with  hope  in  this 
returning  grandeur,  the  indications  of  a  full  restoration 
of  monarchy. 

Guests  from  every  class  of  citizens,  therefore,  par- 
ticipated in  this  magnificent  entertainment,  with  tin- 
usual  joy.  Josephine,  attended  by  Talleyrand,  the 
minister  of  foreign  affairs,  entered  the  saloon  greeted 
with  the  murmur  of  universal  admiration.  Her  dress  was 
simple,  and  her  manner,  then  as  always  indeed,  per- 
fectly graceful.  The  white  muslin  of  her  apparel  like 
a  vestal  robe,  was  both  entirely  becoming  and  an 
emblem  of  her  unstained  innocence  of  action.  The 
tresses  of  her  hair  fell  negligently  upon  her  neck, 
around  which  a  simple  ornament  of  pearls  threw  their 
luster,  and  her  features  beaming  with  benignity  made 
her  a  charming  contrast  with  the  unfortunate  wife  of 
Louis,  her  admired  predecessor.  She  received  the 
presentation  of  ambassadors  with  quiet  dignity,  and 
passed  through  the  thronged  apartments,  smiling  on 
the  company  with  the  sympathy  and  affection  of  an 
ingenuous  spirit  beneath  the  unaffected  majesty  of  a 
queen.  She  was  now  thirty-six,  but  retained  to  a  re- 
markable degree  the  freshness  and  buoyancy  of  her 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  129 

youth.  Her  tasteful  and  unostentatious  attire,  and  the 
sparkling  sweetness  of  her  conversation,  contributed 
much  to  the  manifold  attractions  she  possessed. 

**  Josephine  was  rather  above  than  below  the  middle 
size,  hers  being  exactly  that  perfection  of  stature 
which  is  neither  too  tall  for  tlio  delicacy  of  feminine 
proportion,  nor  so  diminutive  as  to  detract  from  dig- 
nity. Her  person,  in  its  individual  forms,  exhibited 
faultless  symmetry  ;  and  the  whole  frame,  animated  by 
lightness  and  elasticity  of  movemen.t,  seemed  like 
something  aerial  in  its  perfectly  graceful  carriage. 
This  harmonious  ease  of  action  contributed  yet  more 
to  the  dignified,  though  still  youthful  air  so  remarkable 
in  Josephine's  appeaj'ance.  Her  features  were  small 
and  finely  modeled,  the  curves  tending  rather  to  ful- 
ness, and  the  profile  inclining  to  Grecian,  but  without 
any  statuelike  coldness  of  outline.  The  habitual 
character  of  her  countenance  was  a  placid  sweetness, 
within  whose  influence  there  were  few  who  would  not 
have  felt  interested  in  a  being  so  gentle.  Perhaps  the 
first  impression  might  have  left  a  feeling  that  there 
wanted  energy  ;  but  this  could  have  been  for  an  in- 
stant only,  for  the  real  charm  of  this  mild  countenance 
resided  in  its  power  of  varied  expression,  changing 
with  each  vicissitude  of  thought  and  sentiment. 
'Never,' says  a  very  honest  admirer,  *  did  any  woman 
better  justify  the  saying,  '*  The  eyes  are  the  mirror  of 
the  soul." '  Josephine's  were  of  a  deep  blue,  clear  and 
brilliant,  even  imposing  in  their  expression,  when 
turned  fully  upon  any  one ;  but  in  her  usual  manner 
they  lay  half  concealed  beneath  their  long  and  silky 
eyelashes.  She  had  a  habit  of  looking  thus  with  a  mild, 
subdued  glance  upon  those  whom  she  loved,  throwing 
into  her  regard  such  winning  tenderness  as  might  not 
easily  be  resisted,  and,  even  in  his  darkest  moods,  Na- 
9 


130  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

poleon  confessed  its  tranqnilizing  power.  Realizing 
exactly  the  fiue  descriptiou  of  the  old  poet,  Josephine's 

"  *  Long  hair  was  glossy  chestnut  brown,' 

whose  sunny  richness  harmonized  delightfully  with  a 
clear  and  transparent  complexion,  and  neck  of  almost 
dazzling  whiteness.  Her  eyebrows  were  a  shade 
darker,  arching  regularly,  and  penciled  with  extreme 
delicacy.  The  perfect  modulation  of  her  voice  has  al- 
ready been  mentioned  ;  it  constituted  one  of  her  most 
pleasing  attractions,  and  rendered  her  conversation, 
though  not  sparkling  with  wit  nor  remarkable  for 
strength,  but  flowing  on  in  easy  elegance  and  perfect 
good-nature,  the  most  captivating  that  can  easily  be 
conceived  ;  on  the  whole,  Josephine,  perhaps,  might 
not  exactly  have  pretensions  to  be  what  is  termed  a 
fine  woman,  but  hers  was  that  style  of  beauty  which 
awakens  in  the  heart  a  fur  deeper  sentiment  than  mere 
admiration." 

Napoleon,  on  the  occasion  described,  appeared  in 
2)lain  uniform,  decorated  only  with  the  tri-colored  sash, 
a  simple  and  beautiful  badge  worn  with  no  less  j)olicy 
than  taste.  A  glow  of  satisfaction  played  upon  his 
pale  features — his  noble  forehead  hung  like  a  battle- 
ment over  the  restless  orbs,  whose  fire  flashed  witli  the 
rapidity  of  lightning,  revealing  the  hue  of  thought,  but 
not  its  secret,  mighty  workings — and  upon  his  coun- 
tenance, meditation  as  a  mysterious  presence  was  al- 
ways visible.  His  figure  was  rather  diminutive,  as 
before  described,  and  he  stooped  in  walking  carelessly 
with  his  friends.  His  hands  were  symmetrical,  of 
which  it  is  said  he  was  particularly  vain.  Among  the 
eccentricities  of  his  deportment,  which  were  merely 
the   peculiarities  of  genius  engaged  in  profound  eon- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  131 

templation,  he  had  a  convulsive  shrng  of  his  right 
slionlder,  moving  at  the  same  instant  his  mouth  in  that 
direction. 

Bonaparte  turned  away  with  weariness  at  times  from 
the  cares  and  pleasures  of  tlie  Tuilleries,  and  sought 
with  Josephine  the  tranquil  scenes  of  Malmaison. 

The  tenth  day  of  the  decade,  and  after  the  restora- 
tion of  the  hebdomadal  calendar,  every  Saturday  and 
Sabbath  were  passed  at  their  charming  villa. 

The  death  of  Washington,  December  14th,  1799, 
reached  France  ;  and  Xapoleon  expressed  his  admira- 
tion of  the  illustrious  patriot,  and  increased  the  decep- 
tive halo  of  freedom,  concealing  his  throne  of  royalty, 
by  issuing  the  following  order  to  the  army:  ^'Wash- 
ington is  dead !  That  great  man  fought  against 
tyraimy.  He  established  the  liberty  of  his  country. 
Ills  memory  will  be  ever  dear  to  the  freemen  of  both 
hemispheres,  and  especially  to  the  French  soldiers,  who 
like  him  and  the  American  troops,  have  fought  for  lib- 
erty and  equality.  As  a  mark  of  resjiect,  the  First  Con- 
sul orders  that,  for  ten  days,  black  crape  be  suspended 
from  all  the  banners  and  standards  of  the  republic.'" 

The  absence  of  truthfulness  in  this  language  is  ap- 
parent. Liberty  was  not  secured,  and  France  no  more 
a  republic  than  the  empire  of  Eussia  is  to-day. 

Meanwhile  the  scattered  Bourbons  and  their  friends, 
within  and  beyond  the  confines  of  France,  who  saw 
the  proportions  of  a  new  monarchy  appearing  through 
the  illusion  before  the  minds  of  the  masses,  began  to 
hope  that  when  the  preparatory  Avork  was  completed, 
the  dethroned  dynasty  would  be  restored  to  the 
sovereignty  of  the  nation.  An  audience,  at  night, 
w{!^  granted  to  the  agents  of  the  exiled  princes,  when 
Xapoleon  assured  them  that  the  attempt  would  be 
sanguinary  ;  and  refused  all  negotiation   with  any  who 


132  T^iFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

adhered  to  the  policy  of  the  Bourbons.  He  qnelled 
the  civil  war  of  the  royalists  in  the  populous  province 
of  La  Vendee,  and  won  the  principal  chiefs  to  his  ad- 
vancing interest.  His  rule  of  action  at  this  period,  was 
expressed  in  the  remark  to  Sieyes  :  "  We  are  creating 
a  new  era — of  the  past,  we  must  forget  the  bad,  and 
remember  only  the  good."  He  carried  out  the  prin- 
ciple in  the  consolidation  of  power  with  his  own  sur- 
passing skill  and  prophetic  eye  on  the  future.  He 
selected  one  consul  from  the  republicans,  another  from 
the  royalists — opposite  in  principles,  and  yet  the 
creatures  of  his  will — and  prevented  by  their  relation 
to  each  other,  from  conspiring  against  him  ;  and  when 
the  unreliable  character  of  Talleyrand  was  urged  as 
an  objection  to  his  elevated  position,  Napoleon  replied, 
"Be  it  so,  but  he  is  the  ablest  minister  for  foreign 
affairs  in  our  choice,  and  it  shall  be  my  care  that  he 
exerts  his  abilities.'*  Carnot,  in  like  manner,  was 
objected  to  as  a  firm  republican.  "Eepublican  or 
not,"  answered  Napoleon,  "  he  is  one  of  the  last 
Frenchmen  that  would  wish  to  see  France  dismem- 
bered. Let  us  avail  ourselves  of  his  unrivaled  talents 
in  the  war  department,  while  he  is  willing  to  place  them 
at  our  command.'^  All  parties  equally  cried  out 
against  the  falsehood,  duplicity,  and,  in  fact,  avowed 
profligacy  of  Fouche.  "  Fouche,"  said  Bonaparte, 
"^and  Fouche  alone,  is  able  to  conduct  the  ministry 
of  the  police  :  he  alone  has  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all 
the  factions  and  intrigues  which  have  been  spreading 
misery  through  France.  We  cannot  create  men  :  we 
must  take  such  as  Ave  find  ;  and  it  is  easier  to  m.odify 
by  circumstances  the  feelings  and  conduct  of  an  able 
servant  than  to  supply  his  place.'* 

Civil  liberty  was  enjoyed,  although  political  liberty 
^yas  not  secured.     There  was  equality  in  tlie  presence 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  133 

of  law,  for  all  Frenchmen.  The  same  forms  of  trial 
were  decreed  for  the  people,  and  the  highest  position 
in  the  realm,  possible  for  the  worthy  and  aspiring  citizen, 
except  the  consular  throne. 

With  a  tranquil  kingdom  at  his  feet,  Napoleon's  next 
and  serious  care  was  the  menacing  attitude  of  Austria 
and  England,  Russia  had  abandoned  the  alliance,  and 
the  autocrat  seemed  to  have  been  suddenly  smitten 
with  admiration  for  Napoleon.  Austria,  in  his  absence 
during  the  Egyptian  campaign,  had  invaded  northern 
Italy,  and  England,  with  Nelson's  victories  to  revive 
her  courage,  was  unchanged  in  her  attitude  toward 
France.  The  consul  hoping,  however,  that  by  ad- 
vances from  himself,  peace  might  be  secured,  he  dis- 
regarded the  etiquette  of  diplomacy,  and  directed  the 
following  letter  to  George  the  Third. 

•*  French  Republic— Sovereignty  of  the  People- 
Liberty  and  Equality." 

** Bonaimrte,  First  Consul  of  the  Republic,  to  his  Maj- 
esty  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland : 

**  Called  by  the  wishes  of  the  French  nation  to  occupy 
the  first  magistracy  of  the  republic,  I  have  thought 
proper,  in  commencing  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  to 
communicate  the  event  directly  to  your  majesty. 

"  Must  the  war,  which  for  eight  years  has  ravaged 
the  four  quarters  of  the  world,  be  eternal  ?  Is  there 
no  room  for  accommodation  ?  How  can  the  two 
most  enliglitened  nations  of  Europe,  stronger  and  more 
powerful  than  is  necessary  for  their  safety  and  inde- 
pendence, sacrifice  commercial  advantages,  internal 
prosperity,  and  domestic  happiness,  to  vain  ideas  of 
grandeur  ?  Whence  comes  it  that  they  do  not  feel 
peace  to  be  the  first  of  wants  as  well  as  of  glories  ? 
These  sentiments  cannot  be  new  to  the  heart  of  jour 


134  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

majesty,  who  rule  over  a  free  nation  witli  no  oilier 
view  than  to  render  it  happy.  Yoar  majesty  will  see 
iu  this  overture  only  my  sincere  desire  to  contribute 
effectually,  for  the  second  time,  to  a  general  pacifica- 
tion— by  a  prompt  step  taken  in  confidence,  and  freed 
from  those  forms,  which  however  necessary  to  disguise 
the  apprehensions  of  feeble  states,  only  serve  to  dis- 
cover in  the  powerful  a  mutual  wish  to  deceive. 

''  France  and  England,  abusing  their  strength,  may 
long  defer  the  period  of  its  utter  exhaustion  ;  but  I 
will  venture  to  say,  that  the  fate  of  all  civilized  nations 
is  concerned  in  the  termination  of  a  war,  the  flames  of 
which  are  raging  throughout  the  whole  world.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

"BOISTAPAKTE.'* 

In  accordance  with  the  constitution  of  England, 
the  response  was  made  through  the  ministry  ;  and 
Lord  Grenville,  Secretary  of  State,  thus  wrote  to 
Talleyrand  : 

"The  King  of  England  had  no  object  in  the  war 
but  the  security  of  his  own  dominions,  his  allies,  and 
Europe  in  general.  He  would  seize  the  first  favorable 
opportunity  to  make  peace — at  present  he  could  see 
none.  The  same  general  assertions  of  pacific  intentions 
had  proceeded,  successively,  from  all  the  revolutionary 
governments  of  France ;  and  they  had  all  persisted  in 
conduct  directly  and  notoriously  the  opposite  of  their 
language — Switzerland,  Italy,  Holland,  Germany. 
Egypt,  what  country  had  been  safe  from  French  aggres- 
sion ?  The  war  must  continue  till  the  causes  which 
gave  it  birth  ceased  to  exist.  The  restoration  of  the 
exiled  royal  family  would  bo  the  easiest  means  of  giving 
confidence  to  the  powers  of  Europe.  The  King  of 
England  pretended  by  no  means  to  dictate  anything  as 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  135 

to  the  internal  policy  of  France  ;  but  he  was  compelled 
to  say,  that  he  saw  nothing  in  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  new  government  had  been  set  up,  or  the 
principles  it  professed  to  act  upon,  which  tend  to  make 
foreign  powers  regard  it  as  either  more  stable,  or  more 
trustworthy  than  the  transitory  forms  it  had  sup- 
planted." 

It  is  evident  that  England,  Avith  justice,  felt  that 
the  sanguinary  revolutions,  whose  last  phase  was  the 
elevation  of  Napoleon  to  supreme  command  of  the 
restless  masses,  offered  no  basis  of  pacific  negotiations. 
Nothing  had  transpired  in  all  the  career  of  the  first 
consul,  to  inspire  confidence  in  his  future  reign.  The 
cabinet  knew  that  he  loved  war,  and  policy  only  kept 
his  legions  from  the  gates  of  London.  It  is  also  true, 
that  England  was  determined  to  have  peace  only  on  the 
ground  of  protection  to  the  monarchs  whose  thrones 
had  trembled  before  the  tramp  of  Napoleon's  bat- 
talions. 

The  king  was  too  haughty  and  exacting :  the  first 
consul  flushed  with  conquest,  ready,  if  his  terms  of 
amity  were  not  accejitod,  to  open  again  the  sluices  of 
human  blood. 

And  who  that  surveys  the  awful  excesses  and  blas- 
phemies of  the  French  nation  up  to  this  period,  can 
marvel  at  the  suspicions  of  England,  especially  when 
her  own  preeminently  superior  institutions  and  gen- 
eral progress,  were  to  her  view  safe  only  under  the  gegis 
of  the  limited  moiuirchy  she  boasted.  The  spirit  with 
■which  Napoleon  negotiated,  and  saw  the  result,  is  ex- 
pressed in  his  own  emphatic  language  :  "  The  answer 
filled  me  with  satisfaction.  It  could  not  have  been 
more  favorable.  England  wants  war.  She  shall  have 
it.     Yes  I  yes  !  war  to  the  death  !  " 

On  the  other  hand,  the  extravagant  demands  of  the 


136  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

British  government  were  rebuked  by  a  letter  pui-]oort- 
ing  to  be  from  the  heir  of  the  House  of  Stuart,  claim- 
ing from  the  hand  of  George  the  Third,  the  throne  of 
the  realm  over  which  his  ancestors  had  held  the  scep- 
ter. England  was  not  anxious  to  close  the  war  with 
France,  nor  was  Napoleon  grieved  at  the  fact ;  and  he 
did  not  long  wait  to  declare  it.  He  had  the  casits  belli, 
in  British  intervention  and  arrogance,  which  he  em- 
braced with  his  cherished  enthusiasm  for  glory  on  the 
field  of  Mars. 

It  was  desirable  that  France  should  rest  from  con- 
flict, and  the  sagacious  consul  knew,  and  therefore  de- 
sired it.  Had  England  been  more  just  and  generous, 
disentangled  from  alliance  with  corrupt  and  tottering 
thrones  of  despotic  power,  peace  would  have  stopped 
the  slaughter  of  men,  and  the  sufferings  it  spread  in 
the  homes  of  Europe. 

Three  days  after  the  date  of  Lord  Grenville's  letter, 
January  7th,  Najjoleon's  edict  was  published,  creating 
an  army  of  reserve,  comprising  the  veterans  of  former 
service,  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  thirty  thou- 
sand recruits. 

Bonaparte  again  addressed  the  troops  in  his  stirring 
style  of  appeal,  v/hich  kindled  into  a  flame  the  zeal  of 
the  nation  :  ''  Frenchmen  !  you  have  been  anxious  for 
peace.  Your  government  has  desired  it  with  still 
greater  ardor.  Its  first  efforts,  its  most  constant  efforts, 
have  been  for  its  attainment.  The  English  ministry 
has  exposed  the  secret  of  its  iniquitous  policy.  It 
wishes  to  dismember  France,  to  destroy,  and  either  to 
erase  it  from  the  map  of  Europe,  or  to  degrade  it  to  a 
secondary  power.  England  is  willing  to  embroil  all 
the  nations  of  the  continent  in  hostility  with  each 
other,  that  she  may  enrich  herself  with  their  spoils, 
and  gain  possession  of  the  trade  of  the  world.     For  the 


LIFE  OF  NAl'OLEON  BONAPARTE.  1^7 

attainment  of  this  object  she  scatters  lier  gold,  becomes 
prodigal  other  j^romises,  and  multiplies  her  intrigues." 

The  preparations  for  a  mighty  struggle  now  went 
forward  with  the  energy  which  attended  all  the  grand 
designs  of  the  pervading  genius. 

*'  The  chief  consul  sent  Massena  to  assume  the  com- 
mand of  the  *  army  of  Italy'  ;  and  issued,  on  that  oc- 
casion, a  general  order,  which  had  a  magical  effect  on 
the  minds  of  the  soldiery.  Massena  was  highly  es- 
teemed among  them  ;  and,  after  his  arrival  at  Genoa, 
the  deserters  flocked  back  rapidly  to  their  standards. 
At  the  same  time,  Bonaparte  ordered  Moreau  to  assume 
the  command  of  the  two  corps  of  the  Danube  and  Hel- 
vetia, and  consolidate  them  into  one  great  'army  of 
the  Ehine.'  Lastly,  the  rendezvous  of  the  *  army  of 
reserve,'  was  appointed  for  Dijon  :  a  central  position, 
from  which  either  Massena  or  Moreau  might,  as  cir- 
cumstances demanded,  be  supported  and  reinforced  ; 
but  which  Napoleon  really  designed  to  serve  for  a  cloak 
to  his  main  purpose.  For  he  had  already,  in  concert 
with  Carnot,  sketched  the  plan  of  that  which  is  gener- 
ally considered  as  at  once  the  most  daring  and  the  most 
masterly  of  all  the  campaigns  of  the  war.  In  placing 
Moreau  at  the  head  of  the  army  of  the  Ehine,  full  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  strong,  and  out  of  all  com- 
parison the  best  disciplined  as  well  as  largest  force  of 
the  republic,  Bonaparte  exhibited  a  noble  superiority 
to  all  feelings  of  personal  jealousy.  That  general's 
reputation  api:)roached  the  most  nearly  to  his  own  ; 
but  his  talents  justified  this  reputation,  and  the  chief 
consul  thought  of  nothing  but  the  best  means  of  accom- 
plishing the  purposes  of  the  joint  campaign.  While 
this  service  was  given  to  jMoreau,  the  chief  consul  was 
not  without  a  daring  plan  for  his  own  action." 

Moreau,  though  gifted,  was  not  able  fully  to  grasp 


138  T-TFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BO^sAPARIE. 

Xapoleon's  bold  outline  of  the  campaign,  and  modified 
it  to  suit  his  more  moderate  action.  The  consul  yielded 
to  individual  law  of  mind,  and  j)urposed  himself  to 
lead  an  army  into  the  field.  The  movements  at  Dijon 
were  only  a  disguise  in  which  to  cheat  the  enemy,  and 
conceal  his  greater  design.  "While  Austria  supposed 
he  was  there  preparing  to  rally  the  army  of  Italy,  and 
march  to  Genoa,  his  troops  were  pouring  from  every 
l^art  of  France,  into  the  valleys  of  Switzerland,  neither 
detachment  apprised  of  the  destination  of  any  other. 
On  the  4tli  of  May  he  left  Malmaison,  and  embrac- 
ing Josephine  upon  his  departure,  bade  her  adieu  with 
these  words  :  "  Courage,  my  good  Josephine  !  I  shall 
not  forget  thee,  nor  Avill  my  absence  be  long/'  Two 
days  after,  he  was  reviewing  the  vanguard  of  the  army 
of  reserve  at  Lausanne,  consisting  of  six  tried  regiments 
of  his  best  troops  under  Lannes.  Immediately  orders 
were  given  for  the  Avhole  force,  led  by  Victor,  Murat, 
and  other  brave  commanders,  amounting  to  thirty-six 
thousand  men,  to  move  forward  to  St.  Pierre,  a  hamlet 
at  the  foot  of  St.  Bernard.  From  this  village  to  St. 
Renii,  over  that  gigantic  crest  of  the  Aljis,  Great  St. 
Bernard,  the  route  is  environed  with  difficulties  appar- 
ently insurmountable,  and  which  frown  upon  the 
daring  adventurer  with  hopeless  terror.  A  survey  of 
the  fearful  ascent  resulted  in  the  decision  of  a  bare 
possibility  of  success ;  upon  which  Napoleon  said 
confidently,  ''Let  us  forward  then  I"  The  mighty 
cavalcade  went  steadily  up  the  rugged  heights— over 
precipices  well-nigh  perpendicular,  dragging  the  heavy 
artillery  upon  the  trunks  li  trees  after  tliem,  while 
martial  music  was  poui'ed  in  tlirilling  ecliocs  on  the 
ear  of  the  mountain  solitude,  and  the  occasional  inter- 
lude of  a  charge  was  beaten,  to  revive  tiie  courage  of 
the  struggling  host.     The  eagle  left  his  eyrie  to  look 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  139 

on  a  scene  that  his  flashing  ove  had  never  witnessed 
before,  and  sent  down  to  the  duric  defiles  the  cry  of 
alarm  ;  while  the  wild  goat  paused  in  his  flight  to  watch 
tlie  tortuous  advance  of  the  vast  Hydra  which  hung 
upon  the  snow-clad  declivity,  from  its  base  to  its 
cloud-covered  brow. 

The  wondrous  marches  under  the  shadow  of  frown- 
ing fortresses,  and  along  the  ridges  of  majestic  perilous 
cliffs,  on  which  Napoleon  would  lie  down  and  snatch  a 
brief  repose — the  almost  unearthly  daring  of  the  troops, 
and  mysterious  charm  of  their  leader's  voice — cannot 
be  portrayed  with  pen  or  pencil.  The  chieftain  sent 
back  his  youthful  guide,  from  whom  he  had  learned  a 
tale  of  love  and  penury,  with  a  scrap  of  writing,  whicii 
the  bearer  could  not  read,  conferring  on  him  a  pleasant 
home  ;  in  this  he  soon  introduced  the  maiden  he  led  to 
the  altar,  where  he  died  many  years  after  Napoleon  had 
ceased  to  live  even  in  exile. 

The  consul  descended  the  glittering  glaciers  in  a 
sledge,  and  on  the  2d  of  June  entered  Milan  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  populace,  who  supposed  he  was  sleeping 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea. 

]\Ioanwhile,  Genoa,  which  had  been  in  blockade  by 
forty  thousand  Austrians  under  General  Ott,  and  the 
English  fleet  nnder  Lord  Keith,  on  the  coast,  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender;  and  Massena,  on  account  of  his 
unrivaled  bravery  amid  famine  and  threatened  insur- 
rection of  the  inhabitants,  was  allowed  to  march  his 
troops  to  the  headquarters  of  Suchet,  on  the  frontier 
of  France,  holding  the  last  line  of  defense  on  that 
boundary.  General  Ott,  by  his  delay  at  Genoa,  gave 
Napoleon  the  advantage  of  rapid  advance.  Melas,  per- 
plexed with  the  movements  of  the  consul,  while  Suchet 
demanded  attention  for  a  time,  accomplished  nothing. 
But  the  Austrian  commander  at  length   saw  his  peril 


140     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  moved  on  toward  Marengo  ;  General  Ott  was  also 
in  motion.  Napoleon,  who  had  not  heard  of  the  fall  of 
Genoa,  was  contemplating  its  relief  as  a  surprise  to 
Meias,  when  on  the  9th  of  June,  Lannes,  who  had  ad- 
vanced to  Mon*-ebello,  suddenly  came  on  the  Austrian 
army.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  battle  opened.  The  Aus- 
trians  from  the  surrounding  slopes  swept  the  plain  with 
their  batteries.  The  field  of  carnage  was  a  waving  har- 
vest-field of  tall  rye,  which  so  concealed  the  opposing 
battalions,  that  often  before  they  knew  their  proximity 
the  hostile  bayonets  met.  Lannes  fought  like  a  demon, 
piled  around  with  the  dead,  and  breasting  the  tide  of 
battle,  till  Victor's  division  could  arrive.  It  came,  and 
the  conflict  raged  afresh.  Lannes  said  of  this  horrid 
slaughter  beneath  the  amphitheater  of  batteries,  "  7 
could  hear  the  bones  crash  in  my  division  like  glass  in  a 
hail  storm." 

At  nightfall  the  roar  of  combat  died  away,  and  five 
thousand  prisoners  were  in  the  hands  of  the  French, 
and  the  bloody  field  was  won.  When  Napoleon  rode 
np,  lie  contemplated  proudly  the  blackened  hero  amid 
the  ghastly  forms  of  the  slain  ;  and  immediately  gave 
him  the  title  of  Duke  of  Montebello,  in  honor  of  his 
bravery.  The  victory  fanned  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
French,  and  roused  the  desperate  courage  of  the  Aus- 
trians.  The  dariag  Dcssaix,  who  followed  Na^joleon 
from  Egypt,  a  few  months  later,  found  upon  landing 
the  consul's  request  to  join  him  in  the  new  campaign. 
He  is  said  to  have  remarked  of  his  beloved  commander, 
"He  has  gained  all,  and  yet  he  is  not  satisfied."  He 
hastened  toward  the  scene  of  action,  to  fight  under  the 
banner  which  had  streamed  in  the  smoke  of  battle  be- 
neath the  shadow  of  the  pyramids.  Napoleon  moved 
onward  to  the  village  of  Marengo,  and  finding  no  traces 
of  the  enemy,  sent  Dessaix  to  watch  the  road  toward 


UFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  141 

Genoa,  and  Mnrat  toward  Scrivia.  On  the  14th,  Mehid 
with  forty  thousand  men,  entered  the  pLiin  of  Marengo, 
before  the  dawn  kindled  on  his  forest  of  burnished 
bayonets.  Napoleon  liad  twenty  thousand  troops ; 
Dessaix,  with  six  thousand  more,  was  thirty  miles  from 
Marengo.  When  the  conflict  began,  he  caught  the 
sound  of  the  heavy  cannonade  coming  like  the  roar  of 
thunder  to  his  ear,  and  springing  to  his  steed,  hurried 
his  division  forward.  Napoleon  sent  successive  couriers 
to  urge  the  rushing  ranks,  on  whose  timely  aid  hung 
the  fortunes  of  the  terrible  day.  The  tempest  of  fire 
was  too  wasting  to  be  resisted.  The  battalions  began 
to  reel,  fall  back,  and  retreat.  While  Napoleon  with 
his  falling  columns  slowly  yielded  to  the  living  masses 
of  exulting  Austrians,  Melas,  confident  of  victory,  re- 
tired to  his  tent,  and  prepared  for  swift  messengers, 
the  tidings  of  the  grand  event.  At  this  critical  mo- 
ment. Napoleon's  restless  eye  caught  the  outline  of 
Dessaix's  division  sweeping  into  the  field.  The  bravo 
commander  dashed  onward  to  salute  the  first  consul  ; 
and  beholding  the  flight  on  every  hand,  exclaimed,  "  I 
see  the  battle  is  lost."  Napoleon  replied,  *'The  battle, 
I  trust,  is  gained.  Charge  with  your  column.  The 
disordered  troops  will  rally  in  your  rear."  Dessaix 
turned,  and  met  the  tide  of  fiery  devastation,  as  a  wall 
of  granite  meets  the  angry  billows. 

Kellerman  was  ordered  to  charge  in  flank,  while 
Napoleon's  voice  rang  along  the  lines,  reassuring  his 
men,  and  giving  with  his  own  miraculous  rapidity  of 
action,  a  new  aspect  to  the  crimson  plain  of  Marengo. 
The  Austrian  army  was  compelled  to  halt,  and  receive 
the  onset  of  Dessaix.  The  fire  was  answered,  and  the 
hero  fell  pierced  through  the  heart,  declaring  his  only 
regret  to  be,  that  he  died  before  his  fame  was  secure — a 
transit  to  eternity,  no  devout  mind  can  contemplate 


142  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

with  pleasure.  The  enraged  troops  poured  a  fresh 
storm  of  bullets  upon  the  enemy  ;  and  Napoleon,  who 
greatly  admired  Dessaix,  said,  "  Why  is  it  not  permitted 
me  to  weep  ?  Victory  at  such  a  price  is  dear."  The 
day  declined,  and  the  last  smile  of  the  sun,  after  the 
twelve  hours'  carnage  on  whose  beginning  it  rose, 
flashed  over  twenty  thousand  men,  mangled  and  bleed- 
ing ;  the  dead  and  dying,  in  hideous  chaos  among  the 
pools  of  yet  warm  life-blood. 

The  tricolor  again  waved  over  the  triumphajit  con- 
sul, and  unnumbered  living  hearts  were  breaking  be- 
neath the  swelling  shout  of  conquest. 

The  next  day,  Melas  opened  a  negotiation,  whose 
terms  ^Napoleon  accepted.  The  Austrians  abandoned 
Genoa,  Piedmont,  Lombardy,  and  the  Legations,  and 
were  allowed  to  leave  the  field  undisturbed,  and  gain 
the  rear  of  Mantua. 

Napoleon  then  entered  Milan,  a  conqueror  with  the 
mysterious  greatness  of  a  military  prodigy,  and  the 
boundless  enthusiasm  of  the  people  of  France.  Four 
days  after  the  affair  of  Marengo,  he  Avrote  to  his  asso- 
ciates in  office,  at  the  capital  :  "  To-day,  whatever  our 
atheists  may  say  to  it,  I  go  in  great  state  to  the  Te 
Deitm, \yh\ch.  is  to  be  chanted  in  the  cathedral  of  Milan  ;  '* 
an  expression  indicating  that  external  regard  to  forms 
of  religious  worshij),  which  his  convictions  of  the  Di- 
vine sovereignty,  and  sagacious  policy  in  governing 
men,  approved. 

Massena  received  the  command  of  the  army  of  Italy. 
Jourdan  was  minister  at  Piedmont.  The  first  consul 
started  for  Paris.  His  journey  was  the  march  of  a  na- 
tion's idol,  to  whom  their  wildest  and  most  sounding 
homage  was  paid.  July  2d  he  arrived  at  the  Tuilleries, 
and  the  Parisians  seemed  frantic  with  joy.  Illuminations 
nightly  made  the  city  flash  and  glow  like  a  magnificent 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  I43 

temple,  whose  dome  was   the   bending  sky,   filled  with 
acclamations. 

During  the  month  of  Angnst,  the  Jacobins,  who 
hated  as  bitterly  the  royalist,  as  they  had  ardently 
admired  their  republican  leader  before  his  apostacy, 
plotted  Lis  assassination.  Ccracchi,  a  sculptor,  who 
modeled  a  bust  of  Napoleon,  came  from  Italy  to  aid  in 
the  design.  The  plan  was  to  surround  Napoleon  in 
the  entrance  of  the  theater,  and  stab  him.  But  a  con- 
spirator betrayed  his  comrades,  and  they  were  arrested 
at  the  moment  the  consul  was  expected,  and  quietly 
given  into  the  hands  of  justice. 

September  5th,  Malta  surrendered  to  the  English 
under  Lord  Keith,  which  increased  the  indisposition  to 
close  the  war  witli  France,  on  the  part  of  England  ; 
whose  goyernment  had  bound  Austria  to  her  consent, 
before  a  treaty  could  be  definitely  signed, 

•'  During  the  armistice,  which  lasted  from  the  15th  of 
June  to  the  17th  of  November,  the  exiled  princes  of 
the  house  of  Bourbon  made  some  more  ineffectual  en- 
deavors to  induce  the  chief  consul  to  be  the  Monk  of 
France.  The  Abbe  de  Montesquieu,  secret  agent  for 
the  Count  de  Lille,  afterward  Louis  XVIIL,  prevailed 
on  the  third  consul,  Le  Brun,  to  lay  before  Bonaparte  a 
letter  addressed  to  him  by  that  prince — in  these  terms  : 
'  You  are  very  tardy  about  restoring  my  throne  to  me  : 
it  is  to  be  feared  that  you  may  let  the  favorable  mo- 
ment slip.  You  cannot  establish  the  happiness  of 
France  without  me;  and  I,  on  the  other  hand,  can  do 
nothing  for  France  without  you.  Make  haste,  then, 
and  point  out,  yourself,  the  posts  and  dignities  which 
will  satisfy  yon  and  your  friends.'  The  first  consul 
answered  thus  :  '  I  have  received  your  royal  highness'g 
letter,  i  have  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  your 
tnisfortunes  and  those  of  your  family.     You  must  not 


144  LIFE  OF  NAFOLEON  BONAFARTE. 

think  of  appearing  in  France — you  could  not  do  so 
without  marching  over  five  hundred  thousand  corpses. 
For  the  rest,  I  shall  always  be  zealous  to  do  whatever 
lies  within  my  power  towards  softening  your  royal 
higliness's  destinies,  and  making  you  forget,  if  possible, 
your  misfortunes.'  The  Comte  D'Artois,  afterward 
Charles  X.  of  France,  took  a  more  delicate  method  of 
negotiating.  He  sent  a  very  beautiful  and  charming 
lady,  the  Duchesse  de  Guiche,  to  Paris.  She  without 
difficulty  gained  access  to  Josephine,  and  shone,  for  a 
time,  the  most  brilliant  ornament  of  the  consular  court. 
But  the  moment  Kapoleon  discovered  the  fair  lady's 
errand,  she  was  ordered  to  quit  the  capital  within  a  few 
hours.  These  intrigues,  however,  could  not  fail  to 
transpire;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that,  at  this  epoch, 
the  hopes  of  the  royalists  were  in  a  high  state  of  excite- 
ment." 

AVhen  the  armistice  expired,  Austria,  having  emj)loyed 
the  time  in  mustering  her  forces  for  war,  put  her 
splendid  army  under  tlie  command  of  Archduke  John. 
Kapoleon  was  also  ready  for  the  contest.  General 
Bmne  marched  against  the  enemy  on  the  plains  of 
Italy,  with  Vienna  in  view ;  General  Macdonald  was 
among  the  Alps,  with  victory  attending  his  progress 
over  the  fields  of  snow  ;  and  Moreau  with  twenty  thou- 
sand men  was  on  the  Ehine.  December  3d  he  Avas  in  the 
dismal  forest  between  the  Iser  and  the  Inn,  when  at 
midnight,  in  a  howling,  wintry  storm,  he  met  the  arch- 
duke with  seventy  thousand  troops.  The  roads,  which 
were  covered  with  snow,  were  lost ;  the  Austrians  were 
bewildered,  and  the  combatants  came  together  not  un- 
frequently,  column  against  column.  The  cannon  balls 
cut  down  trees,  whose  crash  added  a  faint  echo  to  the 
sounds  of  carnage  and  death,  which  rose  through  that 
horrible  midnight.     The  tri-color  again  waved  over  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  145 

field  of  battle,  and  with  ten  thousand  dead,  the  exult- 
ing army  of  the  Khine  pursued  the  retreating  Austrians, 
whose  loss  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  not  less  than 
fifteen  thousand. 

Contemplating  such  scenes,  the  mind  cannot  fail  to 
wonder  at  the  fascination  of  war  over  the  common 
soldiery,  with  the  certainty  of  this  havoc  in  their  ranks, 
and  an  unlamented,  ghastly  bed  of  death  ;  and  often 
without  knowing  or  caring  for  the  cause  of  contest, 
rushing,  like  sheep  driven  to  the  slaughter,  at  the  bid- 
ding of  ambitious  kings,  into  the  leaden  tempest  of 
battle.  The  capital  of  Austria  was  threatened  by  three 
proud  armies,  and  the  emperor  was  in  extremity.  He 
must  let  England  go,  or  fall  himself  into  the  hands  of 
the  French.  He  despatched  a  messenger  of  peace,  and 
the  result  was  the  treaty  at  Luneville,  February  9th, 
1801.  The  Rhine  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  bound- 
ary of  France,  which  gave  to  the  nation  Austrian  and 
Prussian  territory  ;  Tuscany  was  given  up,  which  the 
consul  purposed  to  offer  the  House  of  Parma  as  a  royal 
reward  for  Spanish  services  in  the  war  ;  the  new  re- 
publics were  secured  against  intervention ;  the  Italian 
prisoners  released  from  Austrian  dungeons  ;  and  France 
at  peace  with  Europe,  England  excepted.  The  terms  of 
this  memorable  treaty  were  not  immoderate  ;  and  they 
left  without  excuse  the  king  and  cabinet  of  the  British 
Empire,  whose  isolated  position  and  their  conquering 
navy,  were  the  sources  of  security,  and  of  injury  to  the 
French.  In  the  pause  of  the  open  hostilities  which 
succeeded  the  treaty,  Xapoleon,  with  characteristic 
power,  transferred  his  inspiring  presence  again  to  the 
peaceful  arena  of  national  glory.  Revenues,  roads,  and 
bridges,  appeared  with  magical  rapidity  ;  and  the  legal 
code  was  cast  into  the  crucible  of  his  molding,  creative 
mind,  where   everything  connected  with   personal  and 

lO 


146  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

public  interest  was  fused  under  its  glowing  activity, 
and  went  forth  bearing  indelibly  the  stamp.  Napoleon. 

Attempts  to  assassinate  the  first  consul  were  repeat- 
edly made.  The  boldest  and  most  nearly  successful, 
Avas  the  explosion  of  the  infernal  macJiine,  December 
24th.  A  cart  was  prepared  containing  a  barrel  with 
gunpowder  and  grape  shot,  to  be  fired  by  a  slow  match. 
The  terrible  engine  of  destruction  was  designed  for 
Napoleon,  at  the  moment  his  carriage  passed  on  the 
way  to  the  opera  from  the  Tuilleries.  He  reached  the 
Rue  St.  Nicaise,  and  was  startled  from  slumber  by  the 
thunder  of  the  report,  and  the  jar  of  the  carriage,  ex- 
claiming to  Lannesand  Bessieres,  "  We  are  blown  up." 
The  terrified  attendants  were  halting,  when  he  quickly 
ordered  them  to  drive  on  with  all  speed  to  the  theater. 
The  coachman,  excited  with  wine,  had  driven  faster 
tban  usual,  and  saved  the  consul's  life.  Half  a  minute 
earlier,  and  Napoleon's  career  would  have  closed  sud- 
denly and  tragically  as  did  Ctesar's,  the  sijlendor  of 
whose  military  fame  he  admired. 

Twenty  persons  were  killed,  among  them  the  assas- 
sin who  sprung  the  mine  ;  and  the  windows  near  were 
shattered  to  fragments.  When  the  tidings  spread 
through  the  assembly  in  the  theater,  shouts  of  enthu- 
siastic congratulation  greeted  him  ;  and  the  escape 
gave  a  new  and  almost  unearthly  interest  to  their  idol. 
The  conspirators  were  discovered  and  beheaded.  Such 
is  the  greatness  of  royalty  ;  the  adulation  of  the  throng 
rises  over  the  smothered  embers  of  hate,  whose  con- 
flagration at  any  momeiit  may  consume  the  dazzling 
pageant,  and  leave  behind  the  brief  epitaph  : 

Our  morning's  envy,  and  our  evening's  sigh. 

It  is  an  argument  supporting  the  principle  of  demo- 
cratic government,  that  nowhere  is  greatness  so  secure 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  147 

— sovereignty  so  qniet  aud  unguarded  by  force,  as  in 
au  enlightened  republic. 

The  spring  of  1801  opened,  with  a  new  aspect  of 
continental  affairs,  favorable  to  the  interests  of  France. 
A  treaty  had  been  formed  with  the  United  States ; 
Pope  Pius  VI.  had  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
Bisliop  of  Imola,  a  favorite  of  Napoleon  ;  and  at  the 
request  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  to  whom  the  Queen 
of  Naples  went  in  mid-winter  to  implore  his  media- 
tion, peace  was  made  with  that  kingdom  March  28th. 
Thus  instead  of  reestablishing  the  "  Roman  Republic," 
upon  the  second  conquest  of  Italy,  the  papal  reign  was 
continued,  as  more  subservient  to  the  consolidation  of 
the  consul's  power,  than  his  removal  would  be.  It 
was  no  longer  diflBcult  to  enlist  Paul  of  Russia  in  the 
plans  of  Napoleon.  His  vanity  was  flattered  ;  and  the 
Russian  prisoners  sent  home,  equipped  and  clothed  at 
the  expense  of  the  state.  England  claimed  the  right 
of  a  general  blockade  of  France,  and  to  search  mer- 
chant vessels  of  every  nation.  She  was  the  undisputed 
mistress  of  the  seas.  The  neutral  powers,  it  is  true, 
had  consented  to  the  principle  of  blockade  and  search  ; 
but  when  Russia  revived  the  opposition  felt  at  first  to 
this  exercise  of  authority,  Prussia,  Denmark,  and 
Sweden  soon  followed,  and.  united  their  powers  in  an 
alliance  against  England.  Meanwhile,  the  British 
fleet,  under  Lord  Nelson,  had  passed  the  Sound,  to 
secure  an  engagement  with  those  allieS;  before  the 
forces  of  France  and  Holland  should  be  added  to  them. 
April  2d,  with  a  favoring  wind.  Nelson  advanced 
with  twelve  ships  of  the  line,  beside  frigates  and  fire- 
8hips,  upon  the  Danish  armament,  which  included  six 
ships  of  the  line,  eleven  floating  batteries,  and  an  im- 
mense number  of  smaller  vessels  chained  together  and 
to  the  shore,  and  covered  by  crown  batteries  and  the 


148  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

fortifications  of  Amack.  The  terrible  battle  opened 
and  raged  with  fiendish  fury.  For  four  hours  limbs 
fell  like  autumnal  leaves — the  brains  flew  on  every 
hand,  and  blood  ran  in  streams  upon  the  decks.  An- 
other complete  victory  was  gained  by  the  naval  power 
of  England,  and  at  so  fearful  a  sacrifice,  that  Nelson 
said,  "1  have  been  in  above  a  hundred  engagements, 
but  that  of  Copenhagen  was  the  most  terrible  of  them 
all.''  The  prince-regent  of  Denmark  was  compelled 
to  abandon  the  alliance  with  France.  A  few  days  be- 
fore this  event,  the  Emperor  of  Eussia  was  assassinated 
in  his  ^palace,  and  was  succeeded  by  Alexander,  who 
consulted  the  wishes  of  the  nobility  in  a  change  of 
policy  toward  Napoleon.  The  intelligence  was  more 
melancholy  to  the  consul  than  the  defeat  in  the  Baltic. 
He  exclaimed,  "  Mou  Dieu  !"  and  immediately  wrote 
the  following  brief  note  to  Joseph,  evidently  not  aware 
of  the  real  cause  of  his  death. 

NAPOLEON"   TO   JOSEPH. 

"Paris,  April  11, 1801. 

*'  The  Emperor  of  Eussia  died  on  the  night  of  the 
24th  of  March,  of  a  stroke  of  apoplexy.  1  am  so  deeply 
afflicted  by  the  death  of  a  prince  whom  I  highly  es- 
teemed, that  I  can  enter  into  no  more  details.  He  is 
succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  who  has  received  the  oaths 
of  the  army  and  of  the  capital." 

Malta  had  surrendered  to  British  arms,  and  now  came 
the  loss  of  Egypt,  while  Napoleon  was  preparing  to 
send  reinforcements  thither.  The  brave  Kleber  was 
killed  by  a  Turkish  assassin,  and  Menou,  his  successor, 
■was  unpopular.  At  this  crisis,  the  English  under 
Lord  Keith,  on  the  sea,  and  Abercrombie  on  land, 
made  the  descent  March  8th,  at  Aboukir.     The  French 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  149 

were  beaten  in  a  single  campaign,  and  the  remnant  of 
the  splendid  army  which  sailed  under  Napoleon  two 
years  before,  was  transported  free  in  English  vessels 
home  again. 

Upon  hearing  of  the  fate  of  his  dearly  purchased 
colony,  he  remarked,  **  Well,  there  remains  only  the 
descent  on  Britain."  An  army  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand men  was  rapidly  concentrated  on  the  coast  of  the 
English  channel,  and  flat-bottomed  boats  were  ready 
to  convey  the  troops  across  the  Rubicon,  whenever  the 
possibility  of  avoiding  the  English  fleet  should  occur. 
Lord  Nelson  was  again  the  formidable  and  watchful 
commander  of  the  opposing  naval  force,  and  after  re- 
peated surveys  of  the  French  preparations  for  invasion, 
at  length  determined  to  move  down  upon  the  flotilla, 
under  the  fire  of  the  batteries,  and  cut  away  the  boats 
of  the  enemy.  August  4th,  before  dawn,  the  bold  at- 
tempt was  made.  But  the  boats  were  chained  to  each 
other,  and  to  the  land  ;  and  after  a  brief  and  furious 
fire.  Nelson  retired,  without  any  show  of  success.  A 
more  desperate  assault  was  made  August  16th,  with 
more  decided  defeat.  Everything  now  conspired  to 
urge  measures  for  peace.  Ireland  was  restless,  and 
combustible  material  of  a  serious  kind  was  accumulated 
in  England.  The  increase  of  taxation  to  meet  the 
enormous  expenses  of  prolonged  conflict,  was  oppres- 
sive, and  corruption  prevailed  in  Parliament.  The 
probabilities  of  a  victorious  descent  upon  British  soil 
were  becoming  daily  less,  and  Napoleon  also  desired  a 
cessation  of  hostilities.  Pitt,  the  champion  of  the  anti- 
revolutionary  party,  who  was  too  obstinate  to  yield  to 
any  pressure  but  that  of  self-preservation,  retired  from 
oflfice,  and  was  succeeded  by  Addington.  Lord  Hawkes- 
bury,  the  new  secretary  of  foreign  affairs,  expressed 
immediately  the  king's  willingness  to  make  peace. 


150  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

The  congress  met  at  Amiens,  midway  between  Lon- 
don and  Paris.  Lord  Cornwallis,  who  was  conspicuous 
in  the  American  Revohition,  was  the  English  minister, 
and  Joseph  Bonaparte  the  ambassador  of  the  court  of 
France.  About  this  time  Louis  Bonaparte  was  mar- 
ried to  Hortense,  the  daughter  of  Josephine,  and  the 
mother  of  the  present  Emperor  of  France. 

Letters  to  Joseph,  during  the  negotiations  at  Amiens, 
shed  light  upon  that  conference,  and  on  his  manifold 
ambitious  plans. 

NAPOLEON  TO   JOSEPH, 

"  Paris,  January  6. 1808. 

"  I  am  to  set  off  to-morrow,  at  midnight,  for  Lyons.* 
I  shall  stay  there  only  eleven  or  twelve  days. 

''  I  believe  that  General  Bernadotte  has  gone  to 
Amiens.  Whether  he  be  there  or  not,  I  wish  him  to 
let  you  know  if  he  would  like  to  go  to  Guadaloupe  as 
captain-general.  The  island  is  in  a  high  state  of  pros- 
perity and  of  cultivation  ;  but  Lacrosse  made  himself 
unpopular  ;  and  as  he  had  only  five  hundred  whites 
in  his  service,  he  was  driven  out,  and  a  mulatto  has 
set  himself  at  the  head  of  the  colony.  The  peace  with 
England  was  not  then  expected.  Three  ships,  four 
frigates,  and  three  thousand  good  infantry,  have  been 
sent  to  disarm  the  blacks,  and  to  maintain  tranquillity. 
It  is  an  agreeable  and  important  mission  in  every  re- 
spect. Some  reputation  is  to  be  gained,  and  a  great 
service  done  to  tlie  republic,  by  tranquilizing  forever 
this  colony.  From  thence  ho  nuiy  perhaps  go  to  take 
possession  of  Louisiana,  and  even  of  Martinique  and 
of  St.  Lucia. 

•  The  objects  of  Napoleon's  visit  to  Lyons  were  to  arrange  the  details  or 
the  Constitution  of  the  Cisalpine  llepublio,  and  to  be  received  as  Its 
President.— Tb. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  151 

"  If  this  tempts  Bernadotte's  ambition,  as  it  appears 
to  do,  you  must  immediately  let  me  know  ;  for  the  ex- 
jsedition  will  set  oft'  in  the  month  of  Pluviose  [January — 
February],  and  missions  to  the  colonies  are  desired  by 
the  most  distinguished  generals.  I  shall  wait  for  the 
courier's  return  before  I  appoint  to  this  post." 

A  few  days  later,  he  wrote  more  fully  his  views  upon 
the  difficulties  before  the  congress,  and  gave  another 
exhibition  of  his  thirst  for  conquest,  in  his  designs 
upon  Hayti ;  a  fact  which  fixes  an  indelible  blot  on  the 
character  of  the  first  consul,  and  which  we  shall  expose 
more  at  length  in  another  place. 

NAPOLEOIf  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  March  21, 1802. 

•*  Your  last  letter  has  been  shown  to  me.  I  approve 
of  your  conduct,  and  especially  of  your  reserve. 

"  It  seems  that  to-day  we  are  again  approaching  an 
agreement.  As  to  the  prisoners.  Otto  tells  me  that 
the  English  ministers  admit  that  France  should  be 
allowed  in  account  what  the  prisoners  taken  from  the 
allies  of  England  have  cost  her.     This  seems  right. 

'*  With  regard  to  Malta,  there  can  be  no  harm  in  de- 
claring, since  it  is  a  fact,  that  the  post  of  Grand  Master 
is  vacant ;  as  one  of  the  ai'ticles  provides  that  there 
shall  be  no  longer  an  English  or  a  French  nation,*  a 
Frenchman  cannot  be  appointed.  This  stipulation  has 
been  made  chiefly  on  account  of  the  Bourbons,  because 
it  has  been  said  that  England  wishes  to  appoint  a 
Bourbon  Grand  Master.  We  hold  that  the  French 
emigrants  are  not  eligible,  as  there  is  no  longer  a 
French  nation,  and,  although  the  emigrants  are  in 
exile,  they  retain  their  nationality. 

*  The  knights  were  divided  into  seven  Langues  or  nations.    Tr. 


152  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

'*  The  words  '  forming  part  of  the  Xeapolitau  army,' 
which  they  want  to  substitute  for  tlie  term  *  native,' 
are  rather  important  if  their  secret  wish  is  to  introduce 
French  emigrants  or  Englishmen  ;  if  this  be  not  the 
motive  for  the  change  of  words,  it  is  of  less  importance. 

"  What  relates  to  the  Prince  of  Orange  may  stand  if 
the  words  '  patrimonial  estates  '  are  added. 

"  What  is  very  important  is  that  no  mention  should 
be  made  of  nobility  as  regards  Malta  ;  our  system  of 
government  is  opposed  to  it.  It  would  be  absurd  if 
we  were  made  to  say  that  a  man  must  be  noble  in  order 
to  enter  the  order  of  Malta  :  the  middle  course,  and 
the  right  one,  is  not  to  allude  to  the  subject.  This 
matter  is  the  most  important  in  the  Maltese  questions. 

*'It  is  also  important  to  put  the  article  on  Turkey 
last,  and  to  cancel  the  words  '  allies  of  England ; ' 
otherwise  you  would  likewise  have  to  insert  *  former 
allies  of  France,  allies  of  Eussia,  and  of  the  emperor  ; ' 
but  the  better  plan  is  to  suppress  the  words  '  allies  of 
Great  Britain.'  This  is  a  very  important  article,  be- 
cause these  words,  standing  alone,  would  give  to  Eng- 
land a  species  of  supremacy  which  would  not  suit  us. 

"  I  have  just  received  letters  from  St.  Domingo, 
dated  the  20tli  February  ;  they  contain  good  news. 
Port  Republican  has  been  taken,  with  all  its  forts, 
without  burning  anything.  They  have  taken  Tous- 
saint's  military  chest ;  it  contained  two  million  five 
hundred  thousand  francs.  The  Port  de  la  Paix  and 
St.  Domingo  are  occupied.  The  Spanish  party  has 
submitted,  and  on  the  29th  General  Leclerc  had  gone 
to  attack  Toussaint,  who  held  out  with  seven  or  eight 
thousand  men. 

"  You  will  find  enclosed  a  letter  to  Jerdme." 

March  27,  the  treaty  was  concluded  and  hailed  with 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  153 

joy  and  festivity  by  botli  nations.  England  restored 
all  her  conquests,  excepting  Ceylon  and  Trinidad,  ceded 
to  her  by  the  Batavian  republic  and  Spain.  Egypt 
was  to  be  restored  to  the  Porte  ;  Malta  given  again  to 
the  knights  of  St.  Jolm,  and  declared  a  free  port. 
Neither  nation  was  to  have  any  representatives  in  the 
Order,  and  the  garrison  was  to  be  troops  of  a  neutral 
power.  This  article  which  occasioned  much  discus- 
sion, was  subsequently  the  pretext  of  another  hostile 
struggle.  With  tranquillity,  came  a  ceaseless  flow  of 
travel  from  Britain  to  France,  where,  amid  the  new 
order  of  things,  Napoleon  was  the  great  object  of  curi- 
osity to  the  distinguished  visitors  who  resorted  to  the 
Tuilleries.  Fox  and  the  Consul  parted  with  the  most 
friendly  regard.  The  aristocracy  were  pleased  with 
the  regal  order  of  the  consular  court. 

The  treaties  of  Luneville  and  Amiens,  which  thus 
gave  fresh  grandeur,  and  the  promise  of  abiding  great- 
ness to  the  new  dynasty,  afforded  Napoleon  the  oppor- 
tunity of  prosecuting  his  vast  designs — "  vast  indeed, 
for  he  aspired  to  nothing  less  than  making  France  the 
world-swaying  state,  and  himself  its  unlimited  lord. 
The  measures  which  he  conceived  and  executed  to  ar- 
rive at  this  result,  were  prudent,  energetic,  persever- 
ing, for  the  most  part  salutary  in  their  more  imme- 
diate effects,  but  also  frequently  uprincipled,  unjust, 
criminal,  and  in  respect  to  their  ultimate  object,  alto- 
gether execrable.  It  was  necessary,  in  the  first  place, 
to  heal  the  yet  bleeding  wounds  which  France  had  re- 
ceived in  the  Revolution,  and  to  gain  the  confidence 
and  the  gratitude  of  the  people  for  the  first  consul. 
He  therefore  first  tranquilized  and  subjected  all  parties, 
in  showing  to  all  equal  favor,  without  giving  himself 
up  to  any.  Then  an  active  life  that  corresponded  with 
the  progress  of  politics,  and  especially  with  the  inter- 


154  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ests  of  national  economy,  came  into  all  branches  of  the 
administration.  Roads  were  laid  out,  canals  dug,  har- 
bors, dikes,  and  bridges  constructed,  everywheie  ways 
of  intercourse  made  or  facilitated,  the  spirit  of  inven- 
tion encouraged  by  honors  and  rewards,  and  even  the 
genius  of  foreign  countries  rendered  subservient  to  the 
French  interest.  Such  establishments  and  institutions 
in  France  itself,  and  in  its  vassal  states,  mark  the  whole 
period  of  Bonaparte's  power,  and — however  many  are 
his  faults  and  his  iniquities — the  half  of  Europe  is  full 
of  those  monuments  of  his  creative  genius  and  his 
gi-eatness  as  a  regent. 

But  besides  such  praiseworthy  works,  the  most  artful 
maneuvers  of  despotism,  and  the  most  insatiable  ambi- 
tion were  early  displayed.  To  be  the  venerated  and  loved 
head  of  a  great  and  free  jieople  did  not  satisfy  his 
selfishness.  He  would  be  despot  and  sole  ruler,  in 
short,  all  in  all.  No  other  independent  power  was  per- 
mitted to  stand  beside  his,  and  he  thought  he  had 
nothing  unless  all. 

*'In  the  first  place,  he  put  the  press  in  chains.  But 
he  who  does  not  allow  the  word  of  complaint  challenges 
the  hostile  deed.  Only  a  system  of  terror  can  then 
protect  him.  Bonaparte  had  recourse  to  the  last. 
Fouche,  his  minister  of  i:)olice,  organized  an  omnipo- 
tent army  of  Arguses  and  police  servants,  which  soon 
mastered  the  domain  of  thought  itself.  At  the  same 
time  the  first  consul  established  special  triMmals 
through  the  whole  kingdom,  composed  of  judges  whom 
the  consul  appointed,  chiefly  officers,  truly  revohffiou- 
ary  tribunals  now  in  the  service  of  the  monarch."  * 

By  a  decree  of  the  senate,  April  2Gth,  the  emigrants 
were  allowed  to  return  to  France  upon  taking  the  oath 
of  allegiance.     But  a  greater  measure  soon  followed  in 

•  Von  Rotteck-Iiistory  of  the  World. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  155 

the  concordat,  or  peace  between  the  consul  and  the 
Pope.  This  restored  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  to 
its  supremacy  in  France,  but  shorn  of  its  power  b\'  the 
overshadowing  authority  of  Napoleon.  Ecclesiasticnl 
ordinances,  the  consecration  of  priests,  and  festivals, 
were  all  celebrated  only  with  the  permission  of  the  gov- 
ernment. A  special  ministry  Avas  appointed  for  the 
purpose,  and* but  one  liturgy  and  catechism  were  per- 
mitted in  the  kingdom.  In  notliing,  however,  did 
Napoleon  encounter  more  opposition,  than  when  the 
church  was  the  object  of  regard.  The  atheism  born 
of  a  corrupt,  despotic  system  of  Christianity,  was  roused 
in  the  minds  of  the  revolutionary  leaders  into  hostility, 
at  the  mention  of  religion.  "While  Napoleon  never 
identified  himself  with  the  church,  he  defended  it,  as 
necessary  to  the  preservation  of  the  state.  In  one  of 
his  conversations  at  Malmaison,  he  said  : 

"But  religion  is  a  principle  which  cannot  be  eradi- 
cated from  the  heart  of  man."  "  Who  made  all  that  ?  " 
said  Napoleon,  looking  up  to  the  heaven,  which  was  clear 
and  starry.  "  But  last  Sunday  evening,"  he  continued, 
**  I  was  walking  here  alone  when  the  church  bells  of 
the  village  of  Ruel  rung  at  sunset.  I  was  strongly 
moved,  so  vividly  did  the  image  of  early  days  come 
back  with  that  sound.  If  it  be  thus  with  me,  wliat 
must  it  be  with  others  ?  lureestablisliing  the  church," 
he  added,  "I  consult  the  wishes  of  the  great  majority 
of  my  people." 

The  concordat  dissatisfied  the  high  Catholic  party, 
and  the  bishops  made  trouble  for  the  consul  in  their 
reluctant  assent  to  its  practical  workings,  yet  it  was  rat- 
ified by  the  people  as  the  best  that  could  be  done  in 
the  emergency.  It  was  celebrated  in  the  cathedral  of 
Notre  Dame,  where  Napoleon  appeared  in  state. 

A  national  system  of  education,  as  a  substitute  for 


l56  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  institutions  of  learning  which  disappeared  with  tha 
influence  and  position  of  the  clergy  was  adopted  ;  and 
the  Polytechnic  school  established  under  Monge — an 
institute  which  furnished  France  with  gifted  men  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  years  of  its  prosperity.  The  deliber- 
ations concerning  the  nmu  civil  code  were  opened,  but 
awoke  so  much  opposition  from  those  jealous  of  his  ex- 
tending power,  that  he  withdrew,  for  the  time,  his  pro- 
jected reform.  Then  came  the  splendid  link  in  the 
lengthening  chain  which  v/ould  gather  the  people  with- 
in its  folds  to  his  throne  which  he  called  the  legion  of 
honor. 

The  proposition  to  form  this  order,  met  with  violent 
hostility.  The  idea  was  evidently  suggested  by  the 
idolatrous  admiration  the  crowd  paid  to  the  insignia  of 
royalty  which  glittered  on  the  forms  of  foreign  am- 
bassadors, who  appeared  at  the  Tuilleries.  But  repub- 
lican senators  saw  in  it  a  stride  toward  monarchy. 
Napoleon  expressed  himself  freely  to  them  on  the  sub- 
ject, in  the  following  words,  in  which  he  alluded  to 
Berthier's  remark,  that  ribbons  and  crosses  were  the 
playthings  of  monarchy,  unknown  among  the  Romans  : 

"  They  are  always  talking  to  us  of  the  Romans.  The 
Romans  had  patricians,  knights,  citizens,  and  slaves  : — 
for  each  class  different  dresses  and  different  manners 
— honorary  recompenses  for  every  species  of  merit — 
mural  crowns — civic  crowns — ovations — triumphs  — 
titles.  •  When  the  noble  band  of  patricians  lost  its  in- 
fluence, Rome  fell  to  jneces — the  j^eop^e  were  vile 
rabble.  It  was  then  that  you  saw  the  fury  of  Marius, 
the  proscriptions  of  Sylla,  and  afterward  of  the  emperors. 
In  like  manner,  Brutus  is  talked  of  as  the  enemy  of 
tyrants  :  he  was  an  aristocrat,  who  stabbed  Caesar  be- 
cause Caesar  wished  to  lower  the  authority  of  the  noble 
senate.     You  talk  oicJdld's  rattles — bo  it  so;  it  is  with 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  157 

Bucli  rattles  that  men  are  led.  I  would  not  say  that  to 
the  multitude;  but  in  a  council  of  statesmen  one  may 
speak  the  truth.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  French 
people  love  Uherfy  and  equality.  Their  character  has 
not  been  changed  in  ten  years  :  they  are  still  what  their 
ancestors,  the  Gauls,  were,  vain  and  light.  They  are 
susceptible  but  of  one  sentiment — Iwnor.  It  isriglit  to 
afford  nourishment  to  this  sentiment,  and  to  allow  of 
distinctions.  Observe  how  tlie  people  bow  before  the 
decorations  of  foreigners.  Voltaire  calls  the  common 
soldiers  Alexanders  at  five  sous  a  day.  He  was  right : 
it  is  just  so.  Do  you  imagine  that  you  can  make  men 
fight  by  reasoning  ?  Never.  You  must  bribe  them 
with  glory,  distinctions,  rewards.  To  come  to  the  point ; 
during  ten  years  there  has  been  a  talk  of  institutions. 
Where  are  they  ?  All  has  been  overturned:  our  busi- 
ness is  to  build  up.  There  is  a  government  with  certain 
powers  ;  as  to  all  the  rest  of  the  nation,  what  is  it  but 
grains  of  sand  ?  Before  the  republic  can  be  definitely 
established,  we  must,  as  a  foundation,  cast  some  blocks 
of  granite  on  the  soil  of  France.  In  fine,  it  is  agreed 
that  we  have  need  of  some  kind  of  institutions.  If 
this  legion  of  honor  is  Jiot  approved,  let  some  other  be 
suggested.  I  do  not  pretend  tliat  it  alone  will  save  the 
state  ;  but  it  will  do  its  part." 

The  law  which  created  the  legion  of  honor,  was 
passed  by  a  small  majority,  and  in  the  face  of  great 
opposition,  in  the  spring  of  1803.  Merit  and  not  birth, 
it  is  true,  was  the  ground  of  distinction  ;  but  still  it 
was  a  reward  which  amounted  simply  to  a  mark  of 
favor  from  the  prince — a  regal  smile  upon  the  loyal 
subject,  whose  eminent  services  M'ere  deemed  worthy  of 
reward. 

]S("apoleon,  with  great  display  and  public  demonstra- 
tion, had  accepted  the  office  of  President  of  the  Cisal- 


158  LIFE  -OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

pine  republic,  at  the  hands  of  the  four  hundred  and 
hity  deputies,  at  Lyons,  in  January  ;  and  the  next  bold 
step  in  taking  the  reins  of  absolute  rule  to  himself,  was 
the  consulate  for  life. 

The  peace  of  Amiens  suggested  to  the  tribune  the 
presentation  of  some  signal  expression  of  national  re- 
gard. Cambaceres  proposed  that  Napoleon  be  created 
first  consul  without  further  limitation  ;  the  measure 
was  carried,  and  the  statesman  repaired  immediately 
to  Malmaison,  and  laid  the  question  before  him.  He 
had  anticipated  the  event,  and  with  expressions  of 
devotion  to  the  glory  of  France,  accepted  the  prosj^ect- 
ive  honor.  The  polls  were  opened  throughout  the 
kingdom,  and  the  prefects  with  other  officials,  were 
busy  in  behalf  of  their  future  emperor.  It  was  a  diffi- 
cult, and  even  dangerous  thing  to  say  "  no  !  "  Carnot 
alone  ventured  to  enter  his  protest  in  the  council  of 
state.  There  were  three  million  five  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  votes  cast,  of  which  eleven  thousand  only  were 
in  the  negative.  Lafayette  recorded  his  enlightened 
patriotism  in  these  words,  ''  I  caniiot  vote  for  such  a 
magistracy  until  public  freedom  is  sufficiently  guar- 
antied. When  that  is  done,  I  give  my  voice  to  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte.'* 

Napoleon  was  declared  consul  for  life,  August  2d, 
1802.  The  proposition  was  also  made,  to  include  in 
the  enthronement  of  the  nation's  idol,  the  power  of 
appointing  a  successor  ;  the  last  act  in  the  creation  of 
an  hereditary  imperial  scepter.  This  was  wisely  re- 
fused, or  rather  deferred  for  a  while,  by  Napoleon. 
Bat  the  words  ''  Liherty,  Equality,  Sovereignty  of  the 
People  "  were  effaced  from  the  governmental  papers, 
without  exciting  alarm  among  a  people  whose  unsta- 
ble character,  whose  vanity  and  enthusiasm,  rendered 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  159 

the  yoke  of  a  brilliant  dynasty  easy,  and  the  throne, 
reared  by  their  hands,  a  fascinating  substitute  for  the 
simpler  sovereignty  of  a  republic.  The  monarchists 
were  in  ecstasies,  and  the  consul  well  jjleased  with  the 
change. 

The  unfitness  of  the  French  for  the  unfettered  free- 
dom enjoyed  in  the  United  States,  was  palpable,  but 
no  more  so  than  the  boundless  desire  for  unquestioned 
sway,  including  in  his  view,  the  glory  of  his  family 
and  the  nation,  on  the  part  of  TsTapoleon.  lie  made 
no  effort  to  do  anything  less  than  become  supreme 
disposer  of  Frtince,  and  if  this  march  of  power  does 
not  separate  him  from  Washington  beyond  an  outline 
of  similarity,  then  never  were  republicans  and  royal- 
ists— presidents  and  kings — the  world  over,  more  de- 
luded, and  stupid  in  their  judgment  and  verdict  upon 
two  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  renowned  actors  on 
the  world's  arena,  since  time  began. 

Meanwhile,  Najjoleon,  like  England  before  him, 
Avas  extending  his  scepter  over  colonies,  near  and 
remote,  fast  as  the  work  could  be  securely  accom- 
plished. 

"  Spain  had  agreed  that  Parma,  after  the  death  of 
the  reigning  prince,  should  be  added  to  the  dominions 
of  France  :  and  Portugal  had  actually  ceded  her  prov- 
ince in  Guyana. 

"  Nearer  him,  he  had  been  preparing  to  strike  a 
blow  at  the  independence  of  Switzerland,  and  virtually 
united  that  country  also  to  his  empire.  The  contract- 
ing parties  in  the  treaty  of  Luneville  had  guarantied 
the  indej^endence  of  the  Helvetic  re2)ublic,  and  the 
unquestionable  right  of  the  Swiss  to  model  their 
government  in  what  form  they  pleased.  Thei'e  were 
two  parties  there  as  elsewhere — one  who  desired  the 
full  reestablishment  of  the  old  federative  constitution 


IGO  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

— another  who  preferred  the  model  of  the  French  re- 
public '  one  and  indivisible/  To  the  former  party  the 
small  mountain  cantons  adhered — the  wealthier  and 
aristocratic  cantons  to  the  latter.  Their  disputes  at 
last  swelled  into  civil  war — and  the  party  who  preferred 
the  old  constitution,  being  headed  by  the  gallant  Aloys 
Eeding,  were  generally  successful.  Napoleon,  who  had 
fomented  their  quarrel,  now,  unasked  and  unexpected, 
assumed  to  himself  the  character  of  arbiter  between 
the  contending  parties.  He  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
eighteen  cantons,  in  Avhich  these  words  occur  :  '  Your 
history  shows  that  your  intestine  wars  cannot  be  ter- 
minated, except  through  the  intervention  of  France. 
I  had,  it  is  true,  resolved  not  to  intermeddle  in  your 
affairs — but  I  cannot  remain  insensible  to  the  distress 
of  which  I  see  you  the  prey  : — I  recall  my  resolution 
of  neutrality — I  consent  to  be  the  mediator  in  your 
differences.'  Rapp,  adjutant-general,  was  the  bearer 
of  this  insolent  manifesto.  To  cut  short  all  discussion, 
Ney  entered  Switzerland  at  the  head  of  forty  thousand 
troops.  Resistance  was  hopeless.  Aloys  Reding  dis- 
missed his  brave  followers,  was  arrested,  and  im- 
prisoned in  the  castle  of  Aarburg.  The  government 
was  arranged  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  Na- 
2)oleon,  who  henceforth  added  to  his  other  titles  that 
of  *  grand  mediator  of  the  Helvetic  republic*  Swit- 
zerland was,  in  effect,  degraded  into  a  jirovince  of 
France  ;  and  became  bound  to  maintain  an  army  of 
sixteen  thousand  men,  wlio  were  to  be  at  the  disposal, 
whenever  it  should  please  him  to  require  their  aid,  or 
the  grand  mediator." 

And  here  we  may  properly  glance  again  at  the  con- 
duct of  Napoleon  toward  Ilayti. 

Eight  years  after  the  government  of  France  had,  in 
accordance  with  the  demands  of  her  citizens,  abolished 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  Id 

slavery  forever  in  the  French  territory  of  St.  Domingo, 
and  after  the  bhicks  of  thut  colony  had  manfully  and 
sucessfully  battled  with  tlie  fleets  and  armies  of  Eng- 
land, and  saved  the  colony  to  France,  the  first  consul 
sought  to  reward  them  by  reinstating  the  system  of 
slavery.  His  deputy,  M.  Vincent,  who  had  newly  ar- 
rived from  the  Island  with  favorable  impressions  of 
the  blacks,  advised  him  to  desist,  hinting  at  the  same 
time,  that  even  the  conquerors  of  Europe  might  fail 
to  gather  laurels  in  such  an  enterprise. 

For  this  suggestion,  M.  Vincent  was  banished  to 
Elba,  and  the  first  consul,  to  make  assurance  doubly 
sure,  despatched  an  immense  fleet  with  twenty-five 
thousand  troops  under  the  command  of  his  brother- 
in-law.  General  Leclerc,  to  reestablish  the  ^'ancient 
system"  in  St.  Domingo. 

This  force  was  in  every  sense,  of  a  most  imposing 
character.  There  were  the  troops  of  the  Ehine,  of 
Egypt,  of  the  Alps,  and  of  Italy ; — the  very  flower  of 
the  victorious  armies  of  France  ; — well  tried  and  gal- 
lant soldiers — worthy  of  a  better  master  and  a  higher 
cause. 

Whether  this  splendid  armament  was  really  sent 
forth  for  the  glory  of  France,  or  whether  the  first 
consul  was  seeking  the  aggrandizement  of  his  house, 
by  giving  to  the  husband  of  his  sister  the  **'  heathen 
for  an  inheritance,"  cannot  be  known  ;  but,  whatever 
might  have  been  the  motive,  the  result  of  the  expedi- 
tion was  disastrous  in  the  extreme. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  fleet  off  the  Cape  rran9ois. 
General  Leclerc  despatched  messengers  to  the  com- 
mandant of  the  town  to  indicate  his  intentions,  and 
also  to  suggest  that  he  had  splendid  marks  of  favor  for 
him  from  the  consular  government.  But  the  officer, 
acting  under  the  instructions  of  Toussaint,  affected  to 
II 


162  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

believe  that  the  ships  could  not  be  from  France  upon 
snch  an  errand,  and  forbade  the  landing  of  a  single 
man.  Finding,  however,  that  the  force  was  over- 
whelming, and  that  its  commander  was  resolute,  he 
cleared  the  place  of  the  women  and  children,  and  in- 
formed the  messenger  that  upon  tlie  entrance  of  a 
single  ship,  the  town  would  be  given  to  the  flames. 
JSTotwithstanding  the  hopeless  chance  of  resistance, 
the  outer  fort  expended  its  last  shot  upon  the  ap- 
proaching ships  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  first  vessel  had 
passed  the  outer  reef,  the  Cape  was  in  a  blaze — so  that 
in  less  than  six  hours  this  miniature  Paris  was  a  mass 
of  ruins. 

At  every  point  the  ajiproacli  of  the  French  troops 
was  the  signal  for  conflagration  ;  thus  towns,  villages 
and  hamlets  were  reduced  to  ashes  in  rapid  succession. 
Consequent  upon  the  peculiarity  of  the  climate,  the 
exposed  situation  of  the  French,  and  the  harassing 
guerrilla  warfare  of  the  blacks,  the  invaders  became 
disjiirited  and  perplexed.  Pestilence  and  famine  were 
soon  added  to  the  horrors  of  war,  and  in  an  incredibly 
short  time,  out  of  all  the  French  troops,  twenty-four 
thousand  were  dead,  and  one  half  of  those  who  re- 
mained Avere  in  the  hospital. 

The  position  of  General  Loclcrc  became  one  of  un- 
mixed anguish.  The  only  ray  of  light  which  gleamed 
upon  his  gloomy  path  flashed  from  the  desperate  hope 
of  ridding  the  couritry  of  Toussaint,  whose  name  alone 
was  stronger  than  an  ''army  with  banners."  To  elfect 
this  great  end  fairly  and  openly,  ho  felt  to  be  impossi- 
Me  ;  for  in  reply  to  an  invitation  to  make  a  voyage  to 
France  in  a  French  frigate,  the  wary  chief  replied, 
"  when  that  tree  (pointing  to  a  small  sapling)  will 
build  a  big  enough  ship  to  carry  me,  I  intend  to  go.'' 

This  manifestation  of  distrust,  satisfied  Leclerc  that 


LIFE  OF  XAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  163 

Toussaint  was  no  stranger  to  his  wishes,  and  conse- 
quently that  he  would  not  easily  be  entrapped  ;  but 
the  French  commander  soon  found  that  Toussaint  had 
not  acquired  even  the  first  rudiments  in  political  de- 
pravity ;  for  npon  receiving  an  invitation  to  a  friendly 
conference  (in  relation  to  the  welfare  of  a  part  of  the 
French  Army  which  was  in  distress),  the  black  chief, 
in  good  faith,  repaired  to  the  isolated  spot  (near  the 
sea  coast)  which  had  been  named  ;  in  this  wild  place 
he  was  seized,  manacled,  and  sent  to  France. 

On  his  arrival  at  Brest,  he  was  hastily  transferred 
to  an  ice-bound  dungeon  in  the  mountains  of  Switzer- 
laiul,  where,  after  a  close  confinement  of  ten  months, 
he  died. 

That  the  black  chief  *  aimed  at  supremacy  in  St.  Do- 
mingo is  quite  probable  ;  in  defense  of  this  design  it 
may  be  urged  that  the  freedom  of  his  race  could  not 
liave  been  safely  intrusted  to  other  hands.  It  was  true 
that  France  had  given  them  freedom,  but  she  had 
given  them  only  what  she  had  no  longer  the  power  to 
withhold,  and  having  been  impelled  by  necessity,  or 
at  best  by  a  selfish  policy,  the  blacks  looked  to  the 
future  with  feelings  of  distrust,  which  were  greatly 
strengthened  by  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the 
colonists  had  never  ceased  for  a  moment  to  importune 
both  France  and  England  to  aid  them  in  the  reestablish- 
ment  of  slavery. 

The  extensive  preparations  which  were  going  on  in 
France  for  the  restoration  of  the  ancient  system  of 
slavery  were  early  known  to  Toussaint.     Had  he  chosen 

*"  It  is  an  interestinpT  fact,  conflrminsthe  view  already  given  of  the  con- 
sul's  oppressive  and  fatal  treatment  of  the  Haytien  chief,  that  the  French 
government,  after  Napoleon's  fall,  granted  to  the  son  of  Toussaint  a 
ha'-.  Isome  pension  for  life.  This  income  he  freely  gave  to  charity  ;  and 
rec'^ntly  died  in  Paris,  unknown  to  fame,  but  honored  and  loved  by  the 
grateful  poor. 


164  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

to  cooperate  with  tlie  first  consul,  he  could  have  se- 
cured for  himself  everything  short  of  sovereignty  in 
the  country,  while  resistance  was  sure  to  bring  upon 
him  condemiiution  as  an  outlaw,  and  probably  death 
in  lingering  torments — but  it  is  not  2:)retended  that  he 
ever  compromised  or  sought  to  compromise  the  free- 
dom of  his  race.  Before  the  overwhelming  armament 
appeared  he  had  prepared  himself  for  the  worst,  and 
when  it  came,  the  blazing  batteries  of  the  fifty-four 
ships  backed  by  twenty-five  thousand  troops  failed  to 
change  his  purpose. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  165 


CHAPTER  V. 

Omens  of  discord  between  England  and  France.— Violations  of  treaty.— 
Abuse  of  Napoleon.— Remonstrance. — Interview  of  the  First  Consul  with 
Lord  Whit  worth.— Declaration  of  war.— Successes.— Descent  upon  Eng- 
land.—Conspiracy. — Pichegru.— Dulce  d'Enghien. — Napoleon  emperor. 
— The  coronation.— Napoleon's  sway.— Coronation  at  Milan.— Napoleoa 
hastens  to  Paris.— Omens  of  war.— New  coalition  against  France.— Na- 
poleon  desires  peace. — The  conflict  opens.— Napoleon  is  victorious. — Ad- 
dress to  the  soldiers.— Marches  toward  Vienna. — Correspondence. — Aus- 
terlitz.— Letters. — Treaty  of  peace  at  Presburg.- Death  of  Pitt. — Royal 
plans. — Letters.— Naples  seized.— Sub-kingdoms.— Napoleon  and  Mr.  Fox. 
— Letters.— Another  campaign. — Prussia  enters  the  field.— Battle  of  Jena 
and  Auerstadt.— Napoleon  enters  Berlin.— Letters.— Pardons  Prince 
Hatzfield. 

The  year  1803  brought  with  it  omens  of  a  rupture 
between  France  and  Enghind.  The  subjection  of 
Switzerland  to  the  consulate,  and  the  rapid  enlarge- 
ment of  the  empire  by  diplomatic  means,  and  as  we 
have  seen,  daring  invasions  of  independent  nations, 
aroused  the  fears  of  England.  Sheridan  expressed  the 
jealousy  and  hate  of  the  Pitt  party,  when  he  said 
*'  The  destruction  of  this  country,  is  the  first  vision 
that  breaks  on  the  French  consul  through  the  gleam 
of  the  morning ;  this  is  his  last  prayer  at  night,  to 
whatever  deity  he  may  address  it,  whether  to  Jupiter 
or  to  Mohammed,  to  the  goddess  of  battle  or  the  god- 
dess of  reason.  Look  at  the  map  of  Europe,  from  which 
France  was  said  to  be  expunged,  and  now  see  nothing 
but  France.  If  the  ambition  of  Bonaparte  be  immeas- 
urable, there  are  abundant  reasons  why  it  should  be 
progressive." 

On  the  other  hand,  Fox,  who  represented  the  con- 
servative minds  of  the  nation,  used  the  following  Ian- 


lee     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

guage :  *' France,  now  accused  of  interferkig  with  the 
concerns  of  others,  we  invaded,  for  the  purpose  oi!  forc- 
ing upon  her  a  government  to  which  she  would  not 
submit,  and  of  obliging  her  to  accept  the  family  of 
Bourbons,  whose  yoke  she  spurned.  *  *  *  No 
doubt  France  is  great,  much  greater  than  a  good  Eng- 
lishman ought  to  wish,  but  that  ought  not  to  be  a 
motive  for  violating  solemn  treaties." 

England  refused  to  surrender  Malta,  the  fortress  of 
the  Mediterranean,  according  to  the  treaty  of  Amiens. 
The  public  prints  on  both  sides  of  the  channel  exas- 
perated popular  feeling  with  passionate  and  bitter 
articles  upon  the  causes  of  discontent.  Especially  did 
English  newspapers  assail  the  character  of  Xapoleon. 
He  remonstrated,  and  received  in  reply  from  the 
ministry,  the  cool  assurance  that, 

"  Our  courts  of  law  are  open — we  are  ourselves  ac- 
customed to  be  abused  as  you  are,  and  in  them  we, 
like  you,  have  our  only  recourse."  The  paragraphs 
in  the  Moniteur,  on  the  other  hand,  were,  it  was  im- 
possible to  deny,  virtually  so  many  manifestoes  of  the 
Tuilleries. 

"  Of  all  the  popular  engines  which  moved  the  spleen 
of  Napoleon,  the  most  offensive  was  a  newspaper 
{UAmbigu)  published  in  the  French  language,  hi 
London,  by  one  Peltier,  a  royalist  emigrant ;  and,  in 
spite  of  all  the  advice  which  could  be  offered,  he  at 
length  condescended  to  prosecute  the  author  in  the 
English  courts  of  law.  M.  Peltier  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  retain,  as  his  counsel,  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  an 
advocate  of  most  brilliant  talents,  and,  moreover,  espe- 
cially distinguished  for  his  support  of  the  original  prin- 
ciples of  the  French  Pte volution.  On  the  trial  which 
ensued,  this  orator,  in  defense  of  his  client,  delivered  a 
philippic  against  the  i)crsonal  character  and  ambitious 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  1(;7 

measures  of  Kapoleon,  immeasuraly  more  calculated 
to  injure  the  chief  consul  in  public  opinion  through- 
out Europe^  than  all  the  eilorts  of  a  thousand  news- 
papers ;  and,  though  the  jury  found  Peltier  guilty  of 
libel,  the  result  was,  on  the  whole,  a  signal  triumph  to 
the  party  of  whom  he  had  been  the  organ. 

"  This  was  a  most  imprudent,  as  well  as  undignified 
proceeding ;  but  ere  the  defendant  Peltier  could  be 
called  up  for  judgment,  the  doubtful  relations  of  the 
chief  consul  and  the  cabinet  of  St.  James  were  to  as- 
sume a  dilferent  appearance.  The  truce  of  Amiens 
already  approached  its  close." 

England  stubbornly  refused  to  yield  Malta  to  the 
protection  of  a  neutral  power,  and  thus  clearly,  per- 
severingly  violated  the  most  solemn  pledge.  What- 
ever infringement  of  the  spirit  of  the  treaty,  Britain 
may  have  discovered  in  the  spreading  power  of  France, 
the  letter  of  the  engagement  she  treated  with  unblush- 
ing contempt.  Justice  demands  the  indictment,  in 
this  re-opening  of  bloody  conflict.  In  an  interview 
with  Lord  Whitworth,  Napoleon,  with  great  earnest- 
ness, not  unmixed  with  a  dictatorial  tone,  and  at  con- 
siderable length,  declaimed  against  the  conduct  of  Eng- 
land.    Among  other  things,  he  said  : 

''Every  gale  that  blows  from  England  is  burdened 
with  enmity  ;  your  government  countenances  Georges, 
Pichegru,  and  other  infamous  men,  who  have  sworn 
to  assassinate  me.  Your  journals  slander  me,  and  the 
redress  I  am  offered  is  but  adding  mockery  to  insult. 
I  could  make  myself  master  of  Egypt  to-morrow,  if  I 
pleased.  Ecjypt,  indeed,  must  sooner  or  later,  helong  to 
France  ;  but  I  have  no  wish  to  go  to  war  for  such  a 
trivial  object.  What  could  I  gain  by  war  ?  Invasion 
would  be  my  only  means  of  annoying  you,  and  inva- 
sion you  shall  have,  if  war  be  forced   on  me — but  1 


108  ^FE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

confess  the  chances  would  be  a  hundred  to  one  against 
me  in  such  an  attempt.  In  ten  years  I  could  not  ho);e 
to  have  a  fleet  able  to  dispute  the  seas  with  you  ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  army  of  France  could  be  re- 
cruited in  a  few  weeks  to  four  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  men.  United  we  might  govern  the  world — 
why  can  we  not  understand  each  other  ?" 

At  a  levee  in  the  palace  of  the  Tuilleries,  March  13th, 
Napoleon  exclaimed  to  Lord  Whitwortli  with  much 
warmth,  "'You  are  then  determined  on  war.  We 
have  been  at  war  for  fifteen  years.  You  are  resolved 
to  have  fifteen  years  more  of  it ;  you  force  me  to  it." 
And  turning  to  other  members  of  the  ministry,  he 
added  :  "  The  English  wish  for  war  ;  but  if  they  draw 
the  sword  first,  I  will  be  the  last  to  sheath  it  again. 
They  do  not  respect  treaties — henceforth  we  must  cover 
them  with  crape. " 

May  18th,  England  declared  war.  Before  the  proc- 
lamation reached  Paris,  orders  were  given  to  seize 
French  vessels  wherever  found  ;  and  Napoleon  retal- 
iated as  soon  as  the  fact  was  known,  by  issuing  com. 
mands  to  arrest  all  the  British  subjects  residing  or 
traveling  in  his  dominions.  Several  thousands,  includ- 
ing eminent  citizens,  were  thus  made  exiles  in  a  hostile 
realm. 

The  English  prosecuted  the  war  Avitli  energy,  recap- 
turing French  territory  ;  while  Bonaparte  sent  Mortier 
with  twenty  thousand  men  into  the  Electorate  of  Han- 
over, belonging  to  the  patrimonial  possessions  of  the 
King  of  England. 

The  mighty  contest,  affecting  the  destinies  of  the 
world,  had  no  longer  the  interest  of  former  campaigns 
of  tlie  republic.  Pi'inciples  ceased  to  be  the  spirit  of 
conflict,  and  the  war  became  the  dc^speratc  struggle  of 
kings  for  tlieir  regal  rights,  and  the  stability  of  their 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  1^9 

thrones.  Liberty  had  plainly  disappeared  from  the 
arena  of  prizes  for  which  the  nations  were  contending. 

Within  ten  days  after  the  opening  of  the  conflict  by 
the  enemy,  the  army  of  the  consul  had  taken  sixteen 
thousand  troojis,  four  hundred  cannon,  thirty  thousand 
muskets,  and  three  thousand  five  hundred  horses  of 
the  finest  mold,  from  which  the  gallant  riders  j)arted, 
like  the  Hungarians  more  recently,  with  tears.  Na- 
poleon assured  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  cabinet  of 
England,  that  in  this  conquest,  ''he  had  only  in  view 
to  obtain  pledges  for  the  evacuation  of  Malta,  and  to 
secure  the  execution  of  the  treaty  of  Amiens." 

"  These  successes  enabled  Xapoleon  to  feed  great 
bodies  of  his  army  at  the  expense  of  others,  and  to 
cripple  the  commerce  of  England,  by  shutting  up  her 
communication  with  many  of  the  best  markets  on  the 
continent.  But  he  now  recurred  to  his  favorite  scheme, 
that  of  invading  the  island  itself,  and  so  striking  the 
fatal  blow  at  the  heart  of  his  last  and  greatest  enemy. 
Troops  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand were  mustered  in  camps  along  the  French  and 
Dutch  coasts,  and  vast  flotillas,  meant  to  convey  them 
across  the  channel,  were  formed  and  constantly  man- 
euvered in  various  ports,  that  of  Boulogne  being  the 
chief  station. 

''The  spirit  of  England,on  the  other  hand,  was  effec- 
tually stirred.  Her  fleets  to  the  amount  of  not  less 
than  five  hundred  shij^s  of  war,  traversed  the  seas  in 
all  directions,  blockaded  the  harbors  of  the  countries 
in  which  the  power  of  the  consul  was  predominant, 
and  from  time  to  time  made  inroads  into  the  French 
ports,  cutting  out  and  destroying  the  shipping,  and 
crippling  the  flotillas.  At  home,  the  army,  both  regu- 
lar and  irregular,  was  recruited  and  strengthened  to  an 
unexampled   extent.     Camps  were  formed  along   the 


lYO  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

English  coasts  opposite  to  France,  and  tlic  king  in 
person  was  continually  to  be  seen  in  the  middle  of 
them.  B}'  night,  beacons  blazed  on  every  hill-top 
throughout  the  island  ;  and  the  high  resolution  of  the 
citizen  soldiery  was  attested  on  numberless  occasions  of 
false  alarm,  by  the  alacrity  with  which  they  marched 
on  the  points  of  su2;)posed  danger.  There  never  was  a 
time  in  which  the  national  enthusiasm  was  more  ardent 
and  concentrated  ;  and  the  return  of  Pitt  to  the  prime 
ministry  was  considered  as  the  last  and  best  pledge  that 
the  councils  of  the  sovereign  were  to  exhibit  vigor  com- 
mensurate with  the  nature  of  the  crisis.  The  regular 
army  in  Britain  amounted,  ere  long,  to  one  hundred 
thousand  ;  the  militia  to  eighty  thousand  ;  and  of  vol- 
unteer troops  there  were  not  less  than  three  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  in  arms. 

**  Soult,  Ney,  Davoust,  and  Victor  were  in  command 
of  the  army  designed  to  invade  England,  niid  the  chief 
consul  personally  repaired  to  Boulogne  and  inspected 
both  the  troops  and  the  flotilla.  He  constantly  gave  out 
that  it  was  his  fixed  purpose  to  make  his  attempt  by 
means  of  the  flotilla  alone,  but  while  he  thus  endeav- 
ored to  inspire  his  enemy  with  false  security,  for  Xel- 
son  had  declared  this  scheme  of  a  boat  invasion  to  be 
mad,  and  staked  his  whole  reputation  on  its  miserable 
and  immediate  failure,  if  attempted,  the  consul  was 
in  fact  providing  indefatigably  a  fleet  of  men  of  war, 
designed  to  protect  and  cover  the  voyage.  These  ships 
were  preparing  in  difl'erent  ports  of  France  and  Sjiain, 
to  the  number  of  fifty  :  Bonaparte  intended  them  to 
steal  out  to  sea  individually  or  in  small  squadrons,  ren- 
dezvous at  Martinico,  and,  returning  thence  in  a  body, 
sweep  the  channel  free  of  the  English,  for  such,  a  space 
of  time  at  least  as  might  sufiice  for  the  OAecution  of 
his  great  purpose.     These  designs,  liowe\  er,  were  from 


LIFE  OF  ^"APOLEON  BONAI'AIITE.  171 

(lay  to  day  thwarted  by  the  watchful  zeal  of  Xclson, 
and  the  other  English  admirals  ;  who  observed  Brest, 
Toulon,  Genoa,  and  the  harbors  of  Spain  so  closely, 
that  no  squadron  nor  hardly  a  single  vessel  could  force 
a  passage  into  the  Atlantic/* 

Still  the  consul  hoped  to  take  advantage  of  the  fre- 
quent calms  in  the  channel,  which  would  leave  British 
ships  motionless,  while  his  flat-bottomed  boats  could 
be  rowed  rapidly  across  ;  or  if  all  other  means  failed, 
he  purposed  to  watch  the  recurrence  of  a  tempest, 
which  should  compel  the  English  vessels  to  stand  out 
to  sea,  and  then  attempt  the  transit  when  it  subsided, 
and  before  the  foe  could  return.  In  the  most  favoi- 
able  condition  of  things,  the  truth  of  Xapoleon's  remark 
to  Lord  Whitworth,  was  apparent:  "It  is  an  awfrJ 
temerity,  my  lord,  to  attempt  the  invasion  of  Eng- 
land." Meanwhile,  another  great  conspiracy  was 
formed  against  the  first  consul.  The  theater  of  it  was 
London,  and  the  leader  Count  d'Artois,  with  whom 
were  combined  French  royalists  in  the  English  capi- 
tal. More  than  a  hundred  daring  men,  under  Georges 
Cadoudal,  were  to  reach  France  secretly,  and  lying  in 
wait  near  Malmaison,  assassinate  the  first  consul  when 
leaving  or  returning  to  his  mansion.  To  insure  suc- 
cess in  the  plot  to  restore  the  Bourbon  dynasty,  the 
aid  of  the  army  was  indisj^ensable.  This  object  was 
sought  through  Moreau,  the  hero  of  Hohenlinden, 
who,  jealous  of  Napoleon,  had  become  hostile  and 
revengeful.  General  Pichegru,  who  escaped  from 
banishment  in  Cayenne,  and  reached  London,  a  man 
of  popular  talent,  and  still  a  favorite  with  many  of  the 
people,  was  selected  to  confer  with  Moreau.  Early  in 
1804,  Napoleon  suspected  some  grand  movement  was 
in  progress  to  undermine  his  throne.  At  this  crisis,  a 
spy  who  had  been  arrested,  and  was  on  the  way  to  ex- 


172  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ecution,  confessed  that  he  was  one  of  Cadoudal's  men, 
and  revealed  the  whole  conspiracy.  In  February, 
Moreau  was  arrested.  General  Pichegrn,  who  eluded 
pursuit  a  few  weeks  longer,  Avhile  asleep,  with  his  weap- 
ons by  his  side,  was  suddenly  taken  by  the  gens'- 
darmes,  who,  rushing  upon  him,  bound  the  struggling 
assassin.  Of  the  Bourbon  princes  who  were  suspected 
of  being  involved  in  the  deeply  laid  plot,  was  the  Duke 
d'Enghien,  grandson  of  the  Prince  of  Conde,  a  promis- 
ing scion  of  royalty,  who  was  at  Ettenheim,  near  Stras- 
burg.  Circumstances  connected  with  the  plan  of  des- 
troying the  consul  made  it  strongly  probable  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  it.  Orders  were  issued  for  a  body  of 
dragoons  to  cross  the  Eliine  into  the  German  territory, 
press  on  to  Ettenheim,  arrest  the  duke,  and  remove 
him  to  Strasburg.  An  apology  was  sent  to  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Baden,  for  the  entrance  upon  his  territory. 
The  prince  was  seized  in  bed  and  hurried  away.  lie 
denied  any  sympathies  with  the  conspirators,  but 
avowed  his  adherence  to  the  former  monarchy,  and 
enmity  towards  N"apoleon.  "When  arraigned,  he  ear- 
nestly pleaded  for  an  interview  with  the  consul.  This 
was  refused,  and  before  M.  Eeal,  counselor  of  state, 
commissioned  to  examine  him  in  NajDoleon's  behalf, 
arrived,  he  was  led  forth  by  torch  light,  and  his  career 
finished  by  a  discharge  of  musketry,  from  a  file  of 
soldiers  awaiting  his  appearance. 

The  death  of  this  gallant  young  Bourbon  went  over 
Europe  with  electric  power.  Tlie  Emperor  of  Kussia, 
and  the  Kings  of  Denmark  and  Sweden,  hung  their 
courts  in  mourning,  and  through  their  diplomatic  rep- 
resentatives remonstrated  against  the  tragical  deed. 
With  all  the  reasons,  suggested  by  the  perils  around 
the  first  consul,  for  summary  justice,  the  execution  of 
tho  duke  will   be  regarded  as  a  sanguinary  deed  of  a 


LIFE  OF  XAFOLEON  BONAPARTE.  I73 

revolutionary  period,  for  which  Xapoleon  was  respon- 
sible ;  but  there  is  not  evidence  satisfactory  to  the  un- 
biassed mind,  that  he  had  decided  to  execute  the  duke, 
or  knew,,  until  too  late,  tiiat  such  would  be  the  prompt 
action  of  the  court.  Retaliation  was,  however,  the  law 
of  Napoleon's  dealings  Avith  his  foes,  and  his  blows  fell 
when  and  where  they  would  be  most  deeply  felt. 

Chateaubriand,  who  was  then  high  in  favor  with 
Napoleon,  and  had  just  been  appointed  minister  pleni- 
potentiary to  the  Yallais,  instantly  resigned  his  ap- 
pointment on  hearing  of  the  duke's  death.  This  was 
a  strong  rebuke  to  Bonaparte,  for  as  Bourrienne  re- 
marks, "  It  said  plainly, '  You  have  committed  a  crime, 
and  I  will  not  serve  a  government  which  is  stained 
with  the  blood  of  a  Bourbon  !''*  In  England,  Bona- 
parte Avas  constantly  styled  in  some  of  the  leading 
journals,  "the  assassin  of  the  Duke  d'Eughien."  On 
the  fatal  morning  of  the  21st  of  March,  before  he  had 
finished  his  toilet,  Josephine  rushed  into  the  room 
from  her  own  distant  apartments,  with  her  counte- 
nance bathed  in  tears,  and  every  personal  care  neglected, 
crying,  "The  Duke  d'Enghien  is  dead  !  oh,  my  friend, 
what  hast  thou  done  ?''  and  threw  herself  on  his  bosom. 
Napoleon  is  said  to  have  shown  extraordinary  emotion, 
and  to  have  exclaimed,  "The  wretches!  they  have 
been  too  hasty!"  Napoleon  was  not  naturally  cruel; 
he  pardoned  many  of  his  guilty  enemies  ;  but  Ire-ueg— 
lected  nothing  which  advanced  his  lofty  aims  ;  and 
without  the  shadow  of  doubt,  desired  the  death  of  a 
Bourbon,  to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  royal  assas- 
sins, who  thirsted  for  his  blood. 

A  few  days  later,  Pichegru  was  found  dead  in 
prison,  with  a  handkerchief  around  his  neck  ;  whether 
a  suicide  or  a  murdered  man  is  unknown,  but  probably 
the  former. 


174  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Moreau  was  trieJ,  and  condemned  to  two  years  of 
exile  ;  and  Georges  Cadoudal  followed  in  the  public 
trial,  and  with  eighteen  others  was  condemned  to  die. 
The  defeated  consj^iracy  confirmed  Napoleon's  author- 
ity, and  prepared  the  way  for  the  last  stride  toward 
royalty — the  right  of  succession  to  the  crown  in  the 
Bonaparte  family.  April  30th,  a  month  after  the 
Duke  d'Enghieu  was  sliot,  Curee  j^roposed  to  the 
Tiibune,  "  that  it  was  time  to  bid  adieu  to  political 
illusions — that  victory  had  brought  back  tranquillity 
— the  finances  6f  the  country  had  been  restored,  and 
tlie  laws  renovated — and  that  it  was  a  matter  of  duty 
to  secure  those  blessings  to  the  nation  in  future,  by 
rendering  the  supreme  power  hereditary  in  the  person 
and  family  of  Napoleon.  Such  was  the  universal  desire 
of  the  army  and  of  the  people.  The  title  of  emperor, 
in  his  opinion,  was  that  by  which  Napoleon  should  be 
li ailed,  as  best  corresponding  to  the  dignity  of  the 
nation." 

Carnot,  as  before,  when  the  question  of  the  con- 
sulate was  under  discussion,  alone  dissented.  He  ad- 
mitted the  greatness  of  Napoleon,  and  his  indispensable 
power  ;  but  added  :  ''  Fabius,  Camillus,  Ciucinnatus 
were  dictators  also.  Why  should  not  Bonaparte,  like 
them,  lay  down  despotic  power,  after  the  holding  of  it 
had  ceased  to  be  necessary  to  the  general  good  ?  Let 
the  services  of  a  citizen  be  what  they  might,  was  there 
to  be  no  limit  to  the  gratitude  of  the  nation  ?  But  at 
all  events,  even  granting  that  Bonaparte  himself  could 
not  be  too  highly  rewarded  or  too  largely  trusted,  why 
commit  the  fortunes  of  posterity  to  chance  ?  AViiy  for- 
get that  Vespasian  was  the  father  of  Domitian,  German- 
iiais  of  Caligula,  Marcus   Aurelius  of  Commodus  ?" 

Tlie  senate  passed  unanimously  the  decree,  and  May 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  175 

LSth,  1804,  2:)roceedecl  in  a  body  to  present  it  to  Xapo- 
leon,  and  salute  him  Ein^ieror  of  France. 

The  decree  immediately  appeared,  published  in  the 
name  of  "  Napoleon,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  by  the 
constitutions  of  the  Kepublic,  Emperor  of  the  French," 
and  was  sent  down  to  the  departments,  and  Avas  rati- 
fied by  a  majority  of  the  pojnilar  vote,  although  but  a 
small  2)art  of  the  nation  was  represented  at  the  ballot- 
box.  The  empire  was  to  descend  in  the  male  line  ; 
and  in  case  of  having  no  son,  NajJoleon  might  adopt  any 
son  or  grandson  of  his  brothers ;  but  in  the  failure 
of  such  provision,  Josej)h  and  Louis  Bonaparte  Averc 
named  as  next  in  order  of  succession.  Lucien  and 
Jerome  were  omitted,  because  the  emperor  was  dis- 
pleased with  their  matrimonial  affairs,  and  not  in  this 
slight  alone  made  them  feel  his  anger.  The  members 
of  the  Bonaparte  family  were  declared  princes  royal  of 
France.  The  senate  was  the  servant  of  the  emperor, 
over  whose  decision  to  the  contrary  he  had  the  right  to 
publish  a  law  as  constitutional ;  the  legislative  branch, 
whose  president  he  appointed,  was  entirely  dependent 
upon  the  royal  will  ;  and  the  liberty  of  the  press  was 
annihilated. 

May  18,  1804,  Napoleon  displayed  the  imperial  in- 
signia, and  named  Cambaceres,  his  former  colleague. 
Chancellor,  and  Le  Brun  Treasurer  of  the  Empire. 
His  group  of  splendid  generals  were  created  marshals. 
The  theater  of  enthusiasm  was  not  now  in  the  Avalks 
of  the  people,  but  at  Boulogne,  in  the  camps  of  the 
soldiers.  There  on  a  magnificent  throne  on  the  mar- 
gin of  the  ocean,  he  distributed  the  crosses  of  the  Le- 
gion of  Honor,  amid  the  shouts  of  his  great  army. 
Congratulations  poured  in  from  the  kings  of  Europe, 
excepting  Eussia,  Sweden,  and  England. 

Napoleon,  to  complete  his  claim  to  hereditary  power. 


176  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Bent  a  request  to  Pius  VII.  to  repair  to  Paris  and  crown 
him — even  in  this  proud  act,  subordinating  the  Church 
of  Eorne  to  his  scepter.  The  unwilling  Pojie  obeyed, 
and  December  2d  tlie  coronation  was  performed. 

It  surpassed  in  magnificence  all  that  had  ever  pre- 
ceded it.  The  dress  of  the  empress  was  in  itself  ele- 
gant, and  arranged  with  that  taste  in  which  she  ex- 
celled all  the  ladies  of  her  time,  the  effect  must  have 
been  unequaled.  A  drapery  of  Avhite  satin,  embroi- 
dered on  the  skirt  with  gold,  and  on  the  breast  with 
diamonds  ;  a  mantle  of  the  richest  crimson  velvet  lined 
with  ermine  and  satin,  embroidered  with  gold  ;  a  girdle 
of  gold  so  pure  as  to  be  quite  elastic,  and  set  with  large 
diamonds,  formed  her  dress  ;  and  on  her  head  she  wore 
a  splendid  diadem  of  pearls  and  diamonds,  the  work- 
manship of  which  had  emjjloyed  the  first  artists  of  the 
capital.  How  her  thoughts  must  have  reverted  to  her 
first  marriage,  when,  as  she  used  to  relate  with  great 
simplicity,  she  carried  the  few  trinkets  given  her  by 
Beauharnais  for  some  days  in  her  pocket  to  exhibit  to 
admiring  acquaintances. 

Bonaparte's  dress  was  quite  as  gorgeous,  and  must 
have  reminded  him  that  he  had  indeed  assumed  the 
weight  of  empire,  for  the  mantle  alone  is  said  to  have 
weighed  eighty  pounds.  Indeed,  he  was  by  no  means 
elated  with  this  display  of  finery,  but  submitted  to  it 
as  part  of  the  system  of  personal  aggrandizement,  to 
which  he  adhered  at  whatever  sacrifice  of  comfort. 
We  can  readily  imagine  that  the  hardy  soldier  must 
have  been  much  less  at  his  ease,  in  his  white  silk  stock- 
insrs,  and  white  buskins  laced  and  embroidered  with 
gold,  than  when  shortly  afterward  he  appeared  on  the 
plain  of  Marengo,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  great  vic- 
tory there,  in  the  identical  cap  and  cloak  pierced  with 
bullet-holes  which   he   had   worn  in  that  battle,  and 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  177 

there,  surrounded  b}-  thirt}^  thousand  of  his  troops  dis- 
tributed the  decoriitions  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 

The  imperial  carriage,  paneled  with  mirrors,  and 
drawn  by  eight  horses  like  the  ancient  regal  coaches 
of  the  empire,  attended  by  horsemen  to  the  number 
of  ten  thousand,  and  double  lines  of  infantry  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  length,  and  gazed  at  by  four  hundred 
thousand  spectators,  proceeded  to  the  church  of  Xotre 
Dame,  which  had  been  magnificently  embellished  for 
the  occasion.  The  incessant  thunder  of  artillery  rolled 
over  that  tumultuous  sea  of  humanity,  whose  shouts 
rose  in  one  loud  acclamation.  While  the  grand  pro- 
cession was  slowly  moving  forward,  the  clouds  which 
had  hung  darkly  over  the  city  suddenly  parted,  and 
the  clear  sunlight  fell  upon  the  gay  uniform,  golden 
trappings,  and  burnished  arms,  till  the  reflection  was 
a  blended  brightness  that  gave  the  finishing  halo  of 
glory  to  this  regal  march.  Arriving  at  the  archie- 
piscopal  palace,  the  cortege  paused,  while  beneath  a 
high  archway,  from  which  floated  the  banners  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  the  royal  group  entered  the  cathe- 
dral, where  a  throne  was  prej)ared  for  the  most  influen- 
tial and  remarkable  sovereign  of  Europe.  It  was  placed 
opposite  the  princijial  entrance,  on  a  platform  whose 
elevation  was  reached  by  twenty-two  semi-circular 
steps,  richly  carpeted  and  gleaming  with  golden  bees. 
Here  were  standing  the  high  officers  of  the  realm  in 
solemn  state.  The  drapery  of  the  throne  was  crimson 
velvet,  under  a  canopy  of  which  appeared  Napoleon 
and  Josephine,  attended  by  his  brothers,  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  imperial  family.  Four  hours  were  con- 
sumed in  the  religious  services  by  a  choir  of  three  hun- 
dred, and  martial  airs  from  a  band  whose  number  was 
still  greater,  filling  the  wide  arches  of  that  temple  with 
a  tide  of  harmony  such  as  never  before  was  poured  over 

12 


178  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

a  silent  throng  within  its  consecrated  walls.  At  length 
Napoleon  arose,  and  taking  the  diadem  of  wrought 
gold,  calmly  placed  it  upon  his  brow.  Eesolved  to 
impress  the  people  from  the  commencement  of  his  reign, 
that  he  ruled  in  his  own  right,  the  lionian  See  was  per- 
mitted to  do  no  more  than  consecrate  the  bauble  that 
made  him  king — Napoleon  calmly  placed  the  crown 
upon  his  own  ample  brow.  Then  raising  the  crown 
designed  for  Josephine  to  his  head,  he  passed  it  to  her 
own.  Josephine,  always  natural,  and  therefore  always 
interesting,  with  folded  arms  kneeled  gracefully  before 
him,  then  rising  fixed  upon  him  a  look  of  tenderness 
and  gratitude,  while  tears  fell  from  her  eyes — the 
lovely  queen  and  devoted  sacrifice,  soon  to  pass  from 
the  throne  to  the  altar  of  ambition.  The  Bible  was 
laid  upon  the  throne  ;  Xapoleon  placed  his  hand  upon 
it,  and  in  a  voice  which  was  distinctly  heard  through- 
out the  immense  edifice,  pronounced  the  customary 
oaths  of  office.  A  simultaneous  shout  broke  from  all 
the  vast  assembly,  which  was  echoed  by  the  crowds  with- 
out ;  while  the  thunders  of  artillery  proclaimed  to  more 
distant  places  that  Bonaparte  was  Emperor  of  France. 
Napoleon,  ten  years  before,  was  a  captain  in  the  service 
of  the  republic  ;  he  had  shaken  a  continent  Avith  his 
armies  ;  and  at  length  sat  down  upon  the  throne  of  an 
empire.  Within  the  fifth  part  of  man's  allotted  age, 
the  Corsican  youth,  hating  warmly  the  French,  had 
become  a  devoted  rei^ublican — adopted  the  despised  na- 
tion as  his  own — risen  from  a  lieutenant's  position  in  the 
army  to  its  head — conquered  the  fairest  jjart  of  Europe 
— and  now  swayed  over  all  a  monarch's  scepter,  receiv- 
ing the  willing  homage  of  the  millions  who  so  recently 
shouted  frantically,   "  Vive  la  Rcjnihliqnc /  " 

The  marvelous  history  is  without  a  parallel  in  the 
auuals  of  time.     It  must  be  conceded,  that  the  royalty 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  179 

of  Xapoleon  was  vastly  superior  to  that  of  the  Bour- 
bons. The  privileged  classes — the  nobility — the  cor- 
rupt officials,  and  priesthood — were  no  longer  the  fa- 
vorites of  a  voluptuous  king.  Personal  security  from  op- 
pi-ession  among  the  masses — religious  toleration — and 
equitable  taxation — were  secured.  It  is  also  true,  that 
France  was  unprepared  for  the  unfettered  freedom  we 
enjoy.  But  all  this  does  not  alter  the  fact,  that  Napo- 
leon made  no  efforts,  either  to  prepare  the  peojjle  for 
republican  institutions,  or  retain  a  vestige  of  the  brief 
republic.  By  decrees,  and  intermarriage  of  his  family 
— and  every  act — his  purpose,  as  he  expressed  it,  to  rule 
the  world  with  or  without  England,  was  clearly  declared. 
Tlien  again,  he  did  not  Jinow  how  soon  after  his  death, 
a  worse  tlian  Louis  XVII.  Avould  ascend  the  throne. 
There  was  a  forceful  view  given  of  the  emperor's  ambi- 
tion and  betrayal  of  humanity  in  Carnot's  question  : 
**  Why  forget  that  Vespasian  was  the  father  of  Domi- 
tian,  Germanicus  of  Caligula,  Marcus  Aurelius  of  Com- 
modus  ?  " 

The  coronation  at  Paris  was  followed,  very  naturally, 
by  a  petition  from  the  Italian  senators,  that  Napoleon 
accept  the  iron  crown  of  Charlemagne,  worn  by  the 
Lombard  kings.  He  immediately  set  out  for  Milan,  ac- 
companied with  Josephine. 

It  was  decided  to  cross  the  Alps  by  Mont  Cenis,  and 
for  tlie  adventure  two  elegant  sedans  were  forwarded 
from  Turin.  There  was  no  grand  highway,  as  soon 
afterward,  bridging  the  chasms,  and  the  traveler,  like 
the  wild  goat,  had  often  to  climb  the  perilous  steep  in 
a  path  untrodden  before.  Josephine  avoided  the 
beautiful  conveyance  ordered  expressly  for  her,  and 
preferred,  whenever  possible,  to  advance  by  her  elastic 
gtep  ;  to  walk  beside  Napoleon,  breathe  the  bracing  air, 
and  behold  with  kindling  eye  the  sea  of  glittering  sum- 


180  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

mits,  the  gorges  and  their  foaming  torrents,  and  the 
ice-fields  stretching  away  in  cold  and  majestic  desola- 
tion. That  passage  was  a  novel  and  sublime  spectacle. 
The  sovereign  of  an  empire,  with  his  charming  queen, 
toiling  up  the  heights  over  which  he  had  led  conquering 
armies — his  thoughts  busy  with  those  mighty  scenes — • 
hers  wandering  over  the  waste  of  wonders,  and  above 
them  through  eternity,  of  which  the  solemn  peaks 
seemed  silent  yet  eloquent  witnesses. 

From  Turin  the  tourists'  next  place  of  rendezvous  was 
Alessandria,  near  the  plain  of  Marengo  ;  and  he  could 
not  resist  the  inducement  to  stand  once  more  upon  that 
field  which  had  rocked  to  one  of  the  world's  decisive 
battles,  and  sent  his  name  like  a  spell-word  around  the 
globe.  He  ordered  from  Paris  the  old  uniform  and 
hat  which  he  had  worn  on  the  day  of  conflict  amid  the 
smoke  of  the  terrible  struggle,  and,  then,  while  in 
fancy  he  saw  again  the  meeting  battalions,  as  when  he 
wrung  from  the  outnumbering  foe  victories  that  as- 
tonished the  heroes  of  every  realm,  he  reviewed  with 
imperial  dignity  the  national  troops  in  Italy.  Eeach- 
ing  Milan,  May  3G,  1805,  the  ancient  crown  was  brought 
from  seclusion,  and  the  dust  in  which  it  had  been  en- 
tombed removed  from  the  neglected  symbol  of  royalty. 
In  the  grand  cathedral  of  the  city,  the  second  in  mag- 
nificence to  St.  Peter's,  Najioleon  receiving  the  crown 
from  the  archbishoj^'s  hand,  jjlaced  it,  as  on  a  former 
occasion,  upon  his  own  head. 

lie  repeated  during  the  ceremony,  in  Italian,  these 
words — ''  God  has  given  it — woe  to  the  gain  say  er  ;  " 
raising  the  iron  circlet  also  to  the  brow  of  Josephine. 
The  assemblage  of  nobility  and  beauty  dispersed  ;  Na- 
poleon calmly  received  their  display  of  loyalty,  and  the 
gay  ]\rilanese  again,  with  wonted  hilarity,  thronged  the 
market-place  and  busy  streets  of  the  capital. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  ISl 

Napoleon's  title  was  now  Emperor  of  the  French  and 
King-  of  Italy. 

The  Ligurian  republic  sent  the  doge  to  Milan  to  of- 
fer congratulations,  and  desire  the  addition  of  their 
territory  to  the  empire  of  France.  This  was  granted, 
and  became  a  serious  affair  in  the  subsequent  course 
of  events.  Eugene  Beauharnois,  Josephine's  son,  was 
ai)pointed  viceroy  at  Milan. 

Here  the  first  intimations  of  threatening  dissatisfac- 
tion, on  the  part  of  Austria  and  Russia,  reached  the 
emperor.  Although  he  continued  his  tour  through  the 
peninsula,  so  rich  in  picturesque  scenery  and  historic 
recollections — in  everything  that  awakens  thought 
and  kindles  the  imagination — his  mind  was  occupied 
with  coming  events,  whose  foreshadowing  he  beheld  in 
the  blackening  horizon  of  the  north.  Arriving  at 
Genoa,  the  tidings  of  a  coalition  were  confirmed,  based 
in  part  at  least,  it  was  aj^parent,  upon  the  coronation  in 
Milan.  The  departure  Avas  impetuous,  for  the  eagle  eye 
of  Napoleon  saw  clearly  the  hastening  tempest,  and  he 
caught  in  fancy  the  thunders  of  its  terrible  shock. 
The  imperial  carriage  glided  like  a  sjiirit  along  the 
highway,  and  the  lash  fell  with  increasing  rapidity  upon 
the  foaming  steeds.  When  for  a  moment  there  was  a 
halt  to  change  the  horses,  water  was  dashed  on  the 
smoking  axle,  and  again  the  wheels  revolved,  till  they 
seemed  self-moving,  while  their  low  hum  only  broke 
the  silence,  except  the  occasional  shout  of  Napoleon, 
*'  On  !  On  !  we  do  not  move  ! " 

He  reached  Paris,  and  on  the  29th  of  January,  1805, 
in  his  new  character  of  emj)eror,  addressed  a  letter  to 
King  George  III.,  in  person,  and  was  answered,  as 
before,  by  the  British  Secretary  of  State  for  for- 
eign affairs  ;  who  said  that  in  the  present  state  of 
relations  between  the  cabinet  of  St.  James  and  that  of 


183  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

St.  Petersburg,  it  was  impossible  for  the  former  to 
open  any  iiegotiatiou  without  the  consent  of  the 
latter. 

This  sufficiently  indicated  a  fact  of  which  Napoleon 
had  just  suspicion  some  time  before.  The  murder  of 
the  Duke  d'Enghien  had  been  regarded  with  horror 
by  the  young  Emperor  of  Eussia  ;  he  had  remonstrated 
vigorously,  and  his  reclamations  had  been  treated  with 
iiuiifference.  The  King  of  Sweden,  immediately  after 
lie  heard  of  the  catastrophe  at  Vincennes,  had  made 
known  his  sentiments  to  the  czar  :  a  strict  alliance  had 
been  signed  between  those  two  courts  about  a  fort- 
night ere  Xnpoleon  wrote  to  the  King  of  England ; 
and  it  was  obvious  that  the  northern  powers  had,  in 
effect,  resolved  to  take  part  with  Great  Britain  in  her 
struggle  against  France. 

The  cabinets  of  London,  Petersburg,  and  Stockholm 
were  now  parties  in  a  league  which  had  avowedly  the 
following  objects  : — To  restore  the  independence  of 
Holland  and  Switzerland  ;  to  free  the  north  of  Ger- 
many from  the  presence  of  French  troops  ;  to  procure 
the  restoration  of  Piedmont  to  the  King  of  Sardinia ; 
and,  finally,  the  evacuation  of  Italy  by  Napoleon. 
Until,  by  the  attainment  of  these  objects,  the  sway  of 
France  should  be  reduced  to  limits  compatible  with  the 
independence  of  the  other  European  states,  no  peace 
was  to  be  signed  by  any  of  the  contracting  powers  ; 
and,  during  several  months,  every  means  was  adopted 
to  procure  the  association  of  Austria  and  Prussia.  But 
the  latter  of  these  sovereigns  had  a  strong  French 
l')arty  in  his  council,  and  though  personally  hostile  to 
Napoleon,  could  not  as  yet  count  on  being  supported 
in  a  war  against  France  by  the  hearty  good-will  of  an 
undivided  people.  Austria,  on  the  other  hand,  had 
been  grievously  weakened  by  the  campaign  of  Marengo, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  1S3 

and  hesitated,  on  prudential   orouiids,  to  commit  her- 
self once  more  to  the  hazard  of  arms. 

The  czar  visited  Berlin ;  and  the  two  sovereigns 
repaired  to  the  vault  of  Frederic  the  Great,  and  there 
swore  over  his  ashes,  to  strike  for  the  independence  of 
Germany.  Austria,  upon  hearing  of  the  scenes  at 
Milan,  yielded  to  the  policy  of  England,  and  suddenly 
entered,  with  eighty  thousand  troops,  the  field  of  strife 
— an  opening  campaign  of  carnage — for  which  the 
British  king  and  cabinet  were  chiefly  responsible. 
The  combined  armies  swept  over  Bavaria,  an  ally  of 
France,  and  while  the  elector  begged  to  be  let  alone 
in  his  neutrality,  endeavored  to  compel  him  to  join 
the  allies.  He  withdrew  into  Frauconia  ;  and  the 
enemy  taking  possession  of  Munich  and  Ulm,  pene- 
trated the  Black  Forest,  and  fortified  their  position  by 
commanding  the  outposts  bordering  on  the  valley  of 
the  Ehine. 

Napoleon  was  not,  as  anticipated,  taken  by  surprise, 
and  overwhelmed  in  the  weakness  of  unavailable 
strength.  He  had  issued  orders  to  the  commanders 
of  the  army  of  invasion,  to  be  ready,  upon  the  first 
hostile  movement  of  Austria,  to  advance  against  her. 
His  vast  arrangements  went  forward  with  usual  pre- 
cision and  haste — the  army  went  wild  with  enthusiasm 
in  view  of  the  campaign  ;  and  the  marvelous  activity 
of  their  leader  made  him  their  Avonder  and  their  idol. 
Twenty  thousand  carriages  conveyed  the  battalions,  as 
if  by  a  magical  flight,  from  Boulogne  to  the  beautiful 
Rhine,  upon  whose  green  banks  a  hecatomb  of  youth- 
ful soldiers,  who  had  impatiently  waited  for  the  con- 
flict, were  trodden  in  gore  beneath  the  iron  hoof. 

When  Napoleon  appeared  before  his  army,  and  the 
shouts  of  the  welcome  had  subsided,  he  made  this  stir- 
ring address  :     •*  Soldiers  !  the  campaign  of  the  third 


184  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

coalition  has  commeuced.  Austria  Las  passed  the  luu, 
violated  its  engagements,  attacked  and  chased  our  ally 
from  his  capital.  We  will  not  again  make  peace  with- 
out sufficient  guaranties.  You  are  but  the  advance- 
guard  of  the  great  people.  You  have  forced  marches 
to  undergo,  fatigues  and  privations  to  endure.  But, 
whatever  obstacles  we  may  encounter,  we  shall  over- 
come them,  and  never  taste  of  reijose  till  we  have  placed 
our  eagles  on  the  territory  of  our  enemies." 

Mack,  the  iVustrian  general,  was  not  equal  in  mili- 
tary skill  to  those  who  preceded  him  in  command. 
While  he  was  anticipating  an  assault  in  front  of 
the  Ulm,  the  main  body  of  the  French  troops  entered 
the  German  dominions,  and  crossing  the  Danube,  aj)- 
peared  in  his  rear,  and  cut  off  his  communication  with 
Vienna. 

*' Napoleon's  gigantic  plan  was  completely  .success- 
ful. The  Austrians  were  surrounded  beyond  all  hope 
of  escape.  In  twenty  days,  without  a  single  pitched 
battle,  by  a  series  of  marches  and  a  few  skirmishes, 
the  Austrian  army  of  eighty  thousand  men  was  utterly 
destroyed.  A  few  thousand  only,  in  fugitive  bands 
eluded  the  grasp  of  the  victor,  and  fled  through  the 
defiles  of  the  mountains.  The  masterly  maneuvers 
of  the  French  columns  had  already  secured  thirty 
thousand  prisoners  almost  without  bloodshed.  Thirty- 
six  thousand  were  shut  up  in  Ulm.  Their  doom  was 
sealed." 

The  emperor  summoned  the  Austrian  commander 
to  surrender.  Notwithstanding  the  expected  reinforce- 
ments by  the  advance  of  the  Russian  army,  and  a  full 
supply  of  stores  for  the  garrison.  Mack,  who,  on  the 
IGth  of  October,  prepared  for  desperate  defense,  over- 
come with  his  fears,  upon  the  17th  signed  articles  of 
capitulation.     Prince  Maurice  was  sent  to  the  French 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BONAPARTE.  185 

camp  to  offer  the  evacuation  of  Ulrn,  ii'  the  troops 
would  be  allowed  to  retire  into  Austria. 

Napoleon,  with  a  smile,  assured  the  envoy  that  such 
a  sacrifice  would  be  absurd,  when  a  week  would  secure 
the  surrender  without  conditions.  The  20th  of  Oc- 
tober poured  its  cold  and  cloudless  splendor  upon  the 
more  than  thirty  thousand  soldiers,  who,  marching- 
through  the  gates  of  Ulm,  laid  down  their  glittering 
arms  at  the  feet  of  Napoleon.  Turning  to  the  impos- 
ing array  of  captive  officers,  he  said,  "  Gentlemen,  war 
has  its  chances.  Often  victorious,  you  must  expect 
sometimes  to  be  vanquished.  Your  master  wages 
against  me  an  unjust  war.  I  say  it  candidly,  I  know 
not  for  what  I  am  fighting.  I  know  not  what  he  re- 
quires of  me.  He  has  wished  to  remind  me  that  I  was 
once  a  soldier.  I  trust  he  will  find  that  I  have  not  for- 
gotten my  original  avocation.  I  want  nothing  on  the 
continent.  I  desire  ships,  colonies,  and  commerce. 
Their  acquisition  would  be  as  advantageous  to  you  as 
to  me." 

This  splendid  campaign  spread  unutterable  joy  over 
the  army  and  nation.  Like  the  summary  of  successes 
on  the  flag  sent  to  the  Directory  after  the  Corsican's 
first  triumph,  Napoleon  gave  an  eloquent  outline  of 
his  victories  in  an  address  which  was  a  tocsin  of  thrill- 
ing import  to  Europe  : 

"  Soldiers  of  the  Graxd  Army — In  fifteen  days 
we  have  finished  our  campaign.  "What  we  proposed 
to  do  has  been  done.  We  have  chased  the  Austrian 
troops  from  Bavaria,  and  restored  our  ally  to  the 
sovereignty  of  his  dominions, 

"  That  army  which  with  so  much  presumption  and 
imprudence  marched  upon-our  frontiers,  is  annihil- 
ated. 

*'  But  what  does  this  signify  to  England  ?     She  has 


ISf,  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

gained  her  object.  We  are  no  longer  at  Boulogne, 
and  her  subsidies  will  not  be  the  less  great. 

''Of  a  hundred  thousand  men  who  composed  tliat 
army,  sixty  thousand  are  prisoners  ;  but  they  will  sup- 
ply our  conscripts  in  the  labor  of  husbandry. 

*'Two  hundred  pieces  of  cannon,  ninety  flags,  and 
•all  their  generals  are  in  our  power.  Not  more  than 
fifteen  thousand  men  have  escaped. 

''Soldiers!  I  announced  to  yon  a  great  battle;  but 
thanks  to  the  ill-devised  combinations  of  the  enemy,  j 
was  able  to  secure  the  desired  result  without  any  dan- 
ger ;  and,  what  is  unexampled  in  the  history  of  na- 
tions, these  results  have  been  gained  at  the  loss  of 
scarcely  fifteen  hundred  men,  killed  and  wounded. 

"  Soldiers  !  this  success  is  due  to  your  entire  confi- 
dence in  your  emperor,  to  your  patience  in  siqoport- 
ing  fatigue  and  privations  of  every  kind,  and  to  your 
remarkable  intrepidity. 

"But  we  will  not  stop  here.  You  are  impatient  to 
commence  a  second  campaign. 

"  The  Eussian  army  which  the  gold  of  England  has 
brought  from  the  extremity  of  the  world,  we  have  to 
serve  in  the  same  manner. 

"  In  the  conflict  in  which  we  are  now  to  be  engaged, 
the  honor  of  the  French  infantry  is  especially  con- 
cerned. We  shall  then  see  decided,  for  the  second 
time,  that  question  which  has  already  been  decided 
in  Switzerland  and  Holland  ;  namely,  whether  the 
French  infantry  is  the  first  or  second  in  Europe  ? 

"There  are  no  generals  among  them,  in  contend- 
ing against  whom  I  can  acquire  any  glory.  All  I 
wish  is  to  obtain  the  victory  with  the  least  possible 
bloodshed.    .  }*ly^ss)]dwvsjirejsi^i.Si}]:^ ren . " 

When  advancing  into  the  heiirnTf"'Germany,  the 
neutral  territory    of  Anspach,  belonging  to   Prussia, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  1S7 

was  violated,  tlireatening  immediate  war  with  that 
power ;  but  this  grand  result  hushed  the  tones  of  in- 
dignation, and  kept  the  king  in  dread  of  the  avenger. 
Ney,  on  the  I'ight  of  Napoleon,  was  successful  in  the 
Tyrol ;  and  Murat,  on  his  left,  had  watched  the  Austri- 
ans  retreating  to  Bohemia  ;  and  both  rejoined  ISTapo- 
leon,  with  Augereau's  fresh  reserve  from  France,  who 
guarded  the  mountain  passes  at  Yoralberg.  He  was 
thus  prepared  to  march  toward  the  German  capital. 
Meanwhile,  the  Czar  of  Eussia,  with  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  thousand  troops,  had  advanced  to  Moravia, 
and  gathered  around  the  hostile  standard  the  avail- 
able force  of  Austria.  England  sent  thirt}''  thousand 
men  to  Hanover  to  press  on  to  the  field  of  conflict. 

The  French  army,  amid  the  astonishment  of  kings, 
fired  Avith  their  leader's  sj^irit,  swept  forward  to- 
w^ard  Vienna.  November  7th,  Francis  fled  from  his 
defenseless  capital,  and  repaired  to  the  headquarters 
of  the  czar.  A  general  panic  seized  the  nation.  On 
the  13th  of  November,  the  exultant  army  of  Napoleon 
entered  the  capital,  and  took  possession  of  the  rich  sup- 
ply of  stores  and  arms  in  the  arsenals  of  the  empire. 
Here  he  heard  of  the  terrible  defeat  of  the  united  naval 
force  of  France  and  Spain.  The  tidings  added  fuel  to 
the  flame  of  determined  vengeance  upon  his  combined 
enemies.  Although  he  was  many  hundred  miles  from 
Paris,  on  the  verge  of  winter,  instead  of  halting  to 
fortify  a  position  of  defense,  he  gave  orders  to  march 
onwai'd  to  meet  tlie  enemy.  He  has  been  severely 
condemned  for  "  the  rashness  of  thus  passing  the 
Danube  into  Moravia,  w'hile  the  Archduke  Ferdinand 
was  organizing  the  Bohemians  on  his  left,  the  Archdukes 
Charles  and  John  in  Hungary,  with  still  formidable 
and  daily  increasing  forces  on  h'is  right,  the  population 
of    Vienna  and   the    surrounding  territories   ready   to 


188  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

rise,  in  case  of  any  disaster,  in  liis  rear  ;  and  Prussia 
as  decidedly  hostile  in  heart  as  she  was  wavering  in 
policy.  The  French  leader  did  not  disguise  from 
himself  the  risk  of  his  adventure  ;  but  he  considered  it 
better  to  run  all  that  risk,  than  to  linger  in  Vienna 
until  the  armies  in  Hungary  and  Bohemia  should  have 
had  time  to  reinforce  the  two  emperors." 

His  correspondence  affords  an  interesting  survey 
of  his  movements,  an  estimate  of  his  marshals,  and  of 
his  own  unaided  genius  : 

3S"AP0LE0X  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Schonbrunn,  November  15,  1805. 

'*  My  Brothek — The  bulletin  has  told  you  all  that 
[  found  in  Vienna.*  I  maneuver  to-day  against  the 
Eussian  army,  and  have  not  been  satisfied  with  Ber- 
nadotte  ;f  perhaps  the  fault  is  in  his  health. 

"  When  I  let  him  enter  Munich  and  Salzbourg,  and 
enjoy  the  glory  of  these  great  expeditions  without  his 
having  to  fire  a  gun,  or  to  endure  any  of  the  fatiguing 
services  of  the  army,  I  had  a  right  to  expect  that  he 
would  want  neither  activity  nor  zeal.  He  has  lost  me 
a  day,  and  on  a  day  may  depend  the  destin}''  of  the 
world.  Not  a  man  would  have  escaped  from  me.  I 
hojDC  that  he  will  re]iair  his  fault  to-morrow,  by  a  more 
active  movement.  I  want  Juiiot.  Every  day  con- 
vinces me  more  and  more  that  the  men  whom  I  have 
formed  are  incomparably  the  best.  I  continue  to  be 
j)leased  with  Murat,  Lannes,  Davoust,  Soult,  Ney,  and 
Marmont.  I  hear  nothing  of  Augereau's  march. 
Massena  has  behaved  himself  indifferently.  He  made 
bad  dispositions,  and  got  himself  beaten   at  Caldiero. 

*An  immense  arsenal,  containing  one  hundred  thousand  muskets, 
two  thousand  pieces  of  cannon,  and  vast  stores  of  ainiuunition,  was 
found  tliere. — Tr, 

t  Joseph's  brother-in-law. — Ta. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  189 

Prince  Charles  army  is  advancing  on  me.  The  Vene- 
tian country  must  by  this  time  be  evacuated.  It  may 
be  as  well  if  you  let  him  know,  through  our  common 
friends,  that  I  am  not  very  well  pleased,  I  will  not  say 
with  his  courage,  but  with  the  ability  which  he  has 
shown.  This  will  rouse  his  zeal,  and  may  stop  the 
disorder  which  is  beginning  in  his  army.  I  know 
that  a  contribution  of  400,000  francs  has  been  imjjosed 
on  the  Austrian  portion  of  Verona.  I  intend  to  make 
the  generals  and  officers  who  serve  me  well,  so  rich 
that  they  will  have  no  pretext  for  dishonoring  by  their 
cupidity  the  noblest  of  all  professions,  and  losing  the 
respect  of  their  soldiers.  General  Dejean  is  absurd 
about  arming  Ancoua  :  his  reasons  are  contemptible. 
Support  the  Constable.*  All  the  arguments  that  De- 
jean uses  are  good  for  nothing.  It  is  a  habit  of  en- 
gineer officers  to  wish  to  show  their  clearness  ;  I  choose 
it  to  be  armed,  and  that  is  enough.  The  Emperor  of 
Germany  writes  beautiful  letters  to  me  ;  but  though 
he  has  allowed  me  to  occupy  his  capital,  he  has  not 
yet  shaken  off  the  influence  of  Kussia.  Just  now  he 
is  supposed  to  be  Avith  the  Emperor  Alexander,  but 
some  day  or  other  he  must  make  up  his  mind." 

A  few  days  later,  he  reports  progress,  and  dictates 
despatches  to  appear  in  the  official  paper. 

NAPOLEOX  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Brunn,  November  24,  1805. 

*'  Mt  Brother — I  inform  you  tliat  the  Emjjeror 
of  Germany  has  just  sent  to  me  M.  de  Stadion  his 
minister  in  Russia,  and  Lieutenant-General  Comte 
de  Giulay,  with  full  powers  to  negotiate,  conclude, 
and  sign  a  definite  peace    between   France  and   Aus- 

*  Prince  Louis  Bonaparte. 


190  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

tria.  I  have  given  similar  powers  to  M.  de  Talley- 
rand. Yon  M'ill  state  this  in  the  Moniteur,  and  add 
this  paragrapli  :  '  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  nego- 
tiation will  produce  peace,  but  this  hope  must  not 
slacken  the  zeal  of  our  administrators  :  on  the  con- 
trary, it  is  an  additional  motive  for  hastening  the 
conscripts  on  their  march,  according  to  the  old  prov- 
erb, Si  vis  pacem,  ijara  helium.  His  Majesty  recom- 
mends the  Ministers  of  War  and  of  the  Interior  to  press 
on  their  preparations.' 

"You  will  insert  as  news  from  Vienna,  'Negotia- 
tions have  begun.  It  is  said  that  the  Emperor  of  the 
French  is  going  to  Italy.  It  is  also  said  that  he  in- 
tends to  appear  in  Paris  when  least  expected  there. 
We  have  not  yet  seen  him.*  " 

The  French  continued  to  advance. 

''T^apoleon's  preparations  were  as  follows  :  his  left, 
under  Lannes,  lay  at  Santon,  a  strongly  fortified  posi- 
tion ;  Soult  commanded  the  right  wing  ;  the  center, 
under  Bernadotte,  had  with  them  Murat  and  all  the 
cavalry.  Behind  the  line  lay  the  reserve,  consisting 
of  twenty  thousand,  ten  thousand  of  whom  were  of 
the  imperial  guard,  under  Oudenot ;  and  here  Napo- 
leon himself  took  his  station.  But  besides  these  open 
demonstrations,  I~)avoust,  with  a  division  of  horse  and 
another  of  foot,  lay  behind  the  convent  of  Raygern, 
considerably  in  the  rear  of  the  French  right — being 
there  placed  by  the  emperor,  in  consequence  of  a  false 
movement,  into  which  he,  with  a  seer-like  sagacity, 
foresaw  the  enemy  might,  in  all  likelihood,  be  tempted." 
Napoleon  was  on  the  field  of  Austerlitz,  confronting 
the  superior,  confident  army  of  the  allied  enemy.  It 
was  December  1st ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  discerned 
their  plan  of  attack,  than  he  exclaimed,  with  delight. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE,  191 

'*  To-morrow  before  nightfall,  that  army  shall  be  my 
own."''  The  day  was  devoted  to  untiring  preparation 
for  the  carnage  at  hand.  Amid  the  gloom  of  night,  as 
he  rode  over  the  field  of  encampment,  a  sudden  shout, 
and  torch-light  illuminations  greeted  him.  It  was  the 
anniversary  of  his  imperial  honors — the  first  celebra- 
tion of  his  coronation.  The  enthusiastic  soldiers  as- 
sured him  the  dawning  day  should  be  one  of  glorious 
commemoration.  *'  Only  promise  us,"  cried  a  veteran 
grenadier,  "that  you  will  keep  yourself  out  of  the  fire." 

He  replied,  in  language  repeated  in  the  proclama- 
tion immediately  issued  to  the  army  :  "  I  will  do  so  ; 
I  shall  be  with  the  reserve  vntil  yon  need  us."  This 
entire  confidence  between  Xapoleon  and  his  vast  armies, 
Avas  sublime,  and  without  a  similar  instance  of  devotion 
in  the  annals  of  war. 

The  unclouded  sunrise  was  hailed  with  rapture,  and 
ever  after  called  '"  the  sun  of  Austerlitz."  Soon  the 
advancing  columns  of  the  czar  disclosed  the  certainty 
that  they  had  been  taken  in  the  snare,  and  were  mak- 
ing an  onset  upon  the  right,  to  which  the  emperor  had 
hoped  to  direct  their  attention.  Davoust  sustained 
the  shock,  while  8oult  rushed  into  the  gap  made  by 
the  regiments  which  had  left  the  heights  in  the  very 
center  of  the  allied  host.  Napoleon  exclaimed,  "  Sol- 
diers !  the  enemy  has  imprudently  exposed  himself  to 
your  blows.  We  shall  finish  this  war  with  a  clap  of 
thunder  !"  It  was  on  the  hill  of  Pratzen,  that  the  sec- 
ond army,  which  for  a  moment  beat  back  the  French, 
lost  the  day.  The  right  wing  gave  way,  and  then  tbe 
victors  poured  the  tide  of  slaughter  upon  the  left,  till 
in  ghastly  confusion  of  the  dead,  the  dying,  and  the 
flying,  the  mighty  struggle  closed,  and  another  stu- 
pendous triumph  shed  its  fearful  glory  uj)on  the  arms 
of  Napoleon.     A  grand  division  of  the  foe  were  making 


192  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPxVRTE. 

their  escape  across  a  frozen  lake  which  swayed  to  their 
tramp,  when  the  batteries  of  the  conqueror  thundered, 
and  the  balls  and  shells  falling  among  the  fugitives, 
tore  in  fragments  the  surface  of  ice,  engulfing,  as  the 
Eed  Sea  did  the  Egyptians,  the  entire  throng,  with 
their  heavy  ordnance  and  neighing  steeds.  The  follow- 
ing letter  gives  Napoleon's  account  of  the  affair : 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

AusTEBLiTZ,  December  3, 1805, 

My  Brother, — I  hope  that  by  the  time  this  courier 
reaches  you  my  aide-de-camp  Lebrun,  whom  I  sent  off 
from  the  field  of  battle,  will  have  got  to  Paris.  After 
some  days  of  maneuvers,  I  had  yesterday  a  decisive 
battle.  I  put  to  flight  the  allied  army,  commanded  by 
the  two  Emperors  of  Germany  and  Russia  in  person. 
It  consisted  of  eighty  thousand  Russians  and  thirty 
thousand  Austrians.  I  have  taken  about  forty  thou- 
sand prisoners,  among  whom  are  twenty  Russian  gen- 
erals, forty  colors,  one  hundred  pieces  of  cannon,  and 
all  the  standards  of  the  Russian  imperial  guards.  The 
whole  army  has  covered  itself  with  glory. 

The  enemy  has  left  at  least  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand  men  on  the  field.  I  do  not  yet  know  my 
own  loss.  I  estimate  it  at  eight  or  nine  hundred 
killed,  and  twice  as  many  wounded.  A  whole  column 
of  the  enemy  threw  itself  into  a  lake,  and  the  greater 
part  of  them  were  drowned.  I  fancy  that  I  still  hear 
the  cries  of  these  wretches  wJioni  it  ivas  impossible  to 
save.'*     The  two  emperors  are  in  a  bad  situation.     You 

*  This  is  a  remarkable  passage.  The  inference  which  Napoleon  intended 
Joseph  to  draw  is,  that  he  would  have  saved  the  Russians  from  being 
drowned,  if  he  had  been  able.  But,  in  fact,  they  were  drowned  intention- 
ally, and  by  his  orders. 

This  is  the  account  of  the  transaction  by  M.  Thiers  :— "The  flying  Rus- 
sians threw  themselves  on  the  frozen  lakes.  The  ice  gave  way  in  some 
places,  but  was  firm  in  others,  and  afforded  an  asylum  to  a  crowd  of  fugi- 
tives.   Napoleon,  from  the  hill  of  Pratzen,  overlooking  the  lakes,  saw  tho 


LIFE  OF  NAPOIiEON  BONAPARTE  193 

may  print  the  substance  of  this,  but  not  as  extracted 
from  a  letter  of  mine  :  it  would  not  be  suitable.  You 
will  receive  the  bulletin  to-morrow.  Though  I  have 
been  sleeping  for  the  last  week  in  the  open  air,  my 
health  is  good.  To-night  I  sleep  in  a  bed  in  the  fine 
country  house  of  M.  de  Kaunitz,  near  Austerlitz,  and 
I  have  put  on  a  clean  shirt,  which  I  have  not  done  for 
a  week.  The  guard  of  tlie  Emperor  of  Russia  was 
demolished.  Prince  Eepnin,  who  commanded  it,  was 
taken,  with  a  part  of  his  men,  and  all  his  standards 
and  artillery. 

*'The  Emperor  of  Germany,  this  morning,  sent  to  me 
Prince  Lichtenstein  to  ask  for  an  interview.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  peace  may  soon  follow.  On  the  field  of  bat- 
tle my  army  was  smaller  than  his,  but  the  enemy  was 
caught  in  a  false  position  while  he  was  maneuvering.*' 

The  emperor,  with  considerable  severity,  reproves 
his  brother  for  announcing  at  the  theaters  that  the 
German  monarch  had  sent  Stadion  and  Giulay  to 
negotiate  peace  ;  and  permitting  the  guns  of  the  In- 
valides  to  be  fired  in  honor  of  the  anniversary  of  his 
coronation. 

KAPOLEO]Sr  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  ScHoNBRUNN,  December  13, 1805. 

**  My  Brother, — You  need  not  have  announced  so 

disaster.  He  ordered  the  battery  of  his  guard  to  fire  round  shot  on  the 
parts  of  tlie  ice  wiiicli  regained  unbroken,  and  thus  to  complete  the  de- 
struction of  the  wretches  wlio  liad  taken  refuge  there.  Nearly  two  thou- 
sand persons  were  thus  drowned  among  the  broken  ice." — Consulat  et  Eni' 
pire,  liv"e  xxiii.,  p.  326. 

A  person,  not  an  eye-witness  himself,  but  who  had  carefully  collected 
information  respecting  this  battle  from  eye-witnesses,  described  to  me  the 
scene.  The  French  batteries  fired,  by  Napoleon's  orders,  first,  not  on  the 
Russians,  but  on  the  parts  of  the  ice  nearest  to  the  shore.  When  these 
were  broken,  the  Russians  were  on  a  sort  of  i.sland  of  ice.  They  all  fell  on 
their  knees.  The  batteries  then  flred  on  them  and  on  the  ice  on  which 
they  stood,  until  the  last  man  was  killed  or  drowned.  My  informant  com- 
puted the  number  thus  destroyed  at  six  thousand. — Tr. 


194  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

pompoasly  that  the  enemy  had  sent  plenipotentiaries, 
or  have  fired  the  gnus.  It  was  the  way  to  throw  cold 
water  on  the  zeal  of  the  nation,  and  to  give  foreigners 
a  false  impression  as  to  our  affairs  at  home.  Crying 
out  for  peace  is  not  the  means  of  getting  it.  I  did  not 
think  it  worth  putting  into  a  bulletin,  still  less  did  it 
deserve  to  be  mentioned  in  the  theatei's.  The  mere 
word  peace  means  nothing  ;  wluit  we  want  is  a  glorious 
peace.  Nothing  could  be  more  ill-conceived  or  more 
impolitic  than  what  has  just  been  done  in  Paris." 

The  next  letter  is  a  further  discipline  of  Joseph,  and 
strong  utterance  of  the  absolute  power  he  designed  to 
wield,  whatever  reasons  of  public  good  were  assigned 
for  the  boundless  ambition. 

KAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  ScnoNBRUNN,  December  15, 1805. 

"  My  Brother, — I  have  got  your  letter  of  the  7th.* 
I  am  not  accustomed  to  let  my  policy  be  governed  by 
the  gossip  of  Paris,  and  I  am  sorry  that  you  attach  so 
much  importance  to  it.  My  people,  under  all  circum- 
stances, have  found  it  good  to  trust  everything  to  me, 
and  the  present  question  is  too  complicated  to  be  un- 
derstood by  a  Parisian  citizen.  I  mentioned  to  you  my 
disajoprobation  of  the  importance  which  you  gave  to 
the  arrival  of  the  two  Austrian  plenipotentiaries.  I 
disapprove  equally  of  the  articles  which  the  Journal 
lie  Paris  keeps  on  publishing.  Nothing  can  be  more 
.silly  or  in  worse  taste.  I  shall  make  peace  when  I 
think  it  the  interest  of  my  people  to  do  so;  and  the 
outcries  of  a  few  intriguers  will  not  hasten  or  delay  it 
by  a  single  hour.     My  people  will  always  be  of  one 

*  In  this  letter  Joseph  had  dwelt  on  the  general  wish  in  Paris  for  peace. 
— Ta. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  195 

opinion  when  it  knows  that  I  am  pleased,  because  that 
proves  that  its  interests  have  been  protected.  The 
time  when  it  deliberated  in  its  sections  has  passed. 
The  battle  of  Austerlitz  has  shown  how  ridiculous  was 
tlic  importance  Avhich,  without  my  orders,  you  gave  to 
the  mission  of  the  2)lenipotentiaries.  I  will  fight,  if  it 
be  necessary,  more  tiian  one  battle  more  to  arrive  at  a 
peace  with  securities.  I  trust  notliing  to  chance  ;  but 
what  I  say  I  do,  or  I  die.  You  will  see  that  the  peace, 
advantageous  as  T  shall  make  it,  will  be  thought  disad- 
vantageous by  those  who  are  now  clamoring  for  it,  be- 
cause they  are  fools  and  blocklieads,  who  know  noth- 
ing about  it.  It  is  ridiculous  to  hear  them  always 
repeating  that  we  want  peace,  as  if  the  mere  fact  of 
peace  was  anything  ;  ail  depends  on  the  conditions. 
I  have  read  the  extract  from  Fesch's  letter.  He  does 
uot  know  what  he  is  talking  about,  nor  M.  Alquier  any 
more,  when  they  speak  of  a  disembarkation  of  eight 
tliousand  Austrian  cavalry — as  if  eight  thousand  cavalry 
could  be  so  easily  embarked." 

The  morning  succeeding  the  battle,  Francis,  Em- 
peror of  Germany,  rode  with  his  escort  to  the  head- 
quarters of  Napoleon.  Partially  sheltered  by  a  mill, 
and  standing  in  the  chill  breath  of  the  winter  winds, 
he  saluted  the  monarch,  saying  to  his  majesty,  *'  I  re- 
ceive you  in  the  only  palace  which  I  have  inhabited  for 
the  last  two  months. '' 

Francis  replied,  "You  have  made  such  use  of  it, 
that  you  ought  not  to  complain  of  the  accommoda- 
tions.'' For  two  hours  the  kings  conversed  ;  and  Na- 
poleon said  to  the  charge  of  injustice  on  the  part  of 
England,  ''The  English  are  a  nation  of  merchants. 
In  order  to  secure  for  themselves  the  commerce  of  the 
World,  they  are  willing  to  set  the  continent  in  flames.'* 


196  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAETE. 

A  remark  of  much  truth,  so  fur  as  the  policy  and 
power  of  Pitt  were  concerned.  Having  agreed  upon 
an  armistice  with  Germany,  Francis  proposed  to  in- 
chide  Russia,  on  the  condition  tliat  Alexander  and  his 
army  might  withdraw  to  his  dominions.  Napoleon  im- 
mediately agreed  to  the  terms,  and  sent  an  envoy  to 
the  headquarters  of  the  emperor,  to  obtain  his  pledge 
that  he  would  cease  to  fight  against  France.  December 
15th  the  treaty  was  signed  with  Francis  at  Presburg, 
and  on  the  26th  at  Vienna  with  Prussia. 

Austria  paid  the  expenses  of  the  campaign.  She 
also  "yielded  the  Venetian  territories  to  the  kingdom 
of  Italy  :  her  ancient  possessions  of  the  Tyrol  and 
Voralberg  were  transferred  to  Bavaria,  to  remunerate 
that  elector  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  war  ; 
Wirtemberg,  having  also  adopted  the  French  side, 
received  recompense  of  the  same  kind  at  the  expense 
of  the  same  power ;  and  both  of  these  electors  were 
advanced  to  the  dignity  of  kings.  Bavaria  received 
Anspach  and  Bareuth  from  Prussia,  and,  in  return, 
ceded  Berg,  which  was  erected  into  a  grand  duchy, 
and  conferred,  in  an  independent  sovereignty,  on  Xa- 
poleon's  brother-in-law,  Murat.  Finally,  Prussia  added 
Hanover  to  her  dominions,  in  return  for  the  cession  of 
Anspach  and  Bareuth,  and  acquiescence  in  the  other 
arrangements  above  mentioned." 

Pitt  was  astonished  and  greatly  depressed  by  the 
tidings  of  the  terrible  defeat  of  the  allies  at  Austerlitz. 
His  health,  which  had  declined,  now  rapidly  failed,  and 
January  23,  1806,  he  expired,  with  the  sad  exclamation, 
*'  Alas,  my  country  I  "  on  his  dying  lips.  He  was  no 
more  jealous  of  England's  glory  than  Napoleon  of  the 
honor  of  France  ;  and  he  cordially  hated  the  revolu- 
tionary reinihlicanimi  of  his  enemy,  and  equally  so,  the 
gigantic  iuflueuce  it  gave  to  the  enthroned  Corsican, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  197 

who  rose  from  u  Jacobin  officer,  to  the  proudest  throne  in 
Europe.  While  this  scene  was  transpiring  in  Enghmd, 
Napoleon  was  concluding  a  peace  with  all  the  hostile 
nations  except  "  the  sea-girdled  isle."  His  communi- 
cations now  reveal  his  new  designs  of  seizing  the  an- 
cient monarchies  of  Europe,  and  forming  of  them  sub- 
kingdoms  for  his  family — a  stroke  of  ambition  which 
ultimately  reached  the  base  of  his  own  throne,  rend- 
ing his  empire — opening  both  the  path  of  unrighteous 
dominion,  and  of  ultimate  ruin.  At  this  date  the  inter- 
marriage of  near  relations  with  princes  and  potentates, 
is  also  declared. 

NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Munich,  December  31, 1805. 

'*  My  Brother — I  am  at  Munich.  I  shall  remain 
here  a  few  days  to  receive  the  ratification  of  the  treaty, 
and  to  give  to  the  army  its  last  orders. 

"  I  intend  to  take  possession  of  the  kingdom  of 
Naj)les.  Marshal  Massena  and  General  Saint-Cyr  are 
marching  on  that  kingdom  with    two    corps-d'armee. 

"  I  have  named  you  my  lieutenant  commanding-in- 
chief  the  army  of  Naples. 

**  Set  off  for  Eome  forty  hours  after  the  receipt  of 
this  letter,  and  let  your  first  despatch  inform  me  that 
you  have  entered  Xaples,  driven  out  the  treacherous 
Court,  and  subjected  that  part  of  Italy  to  our  authority. 

*'  You  will  find  at  the  headquarters  of  the  army  the 
decrees  and  instructions  relating  to  your  mission. 

"You  will  wear  the  uniform  of  a  general  of  division. 
As  my  lieutenant,  you  have  all  the  marshals  under 
your  orders.  Your  command  does  not  extend  beyond 
the  army  and  the  Xeapolitan  territory.  If  my  presence 
were  not  necessary  in  Paris  I  would  march  myself  on 
Kaples ;  but  with  the  generals  whom  you  have,  and  the 


lyS  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

iustruetiuns  which  you  will  receive,  yon  will  do  all  that 
I  could  do.  Do  not  say  whither  you  are  going,  except 
to  the  Arch-Chancellor  ;  let  it  be  known  only  by  your 
letters  from  the  army." 

KAPOLEON"  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Munich,  December  81, 1805. 

"  My  Brother — I  have  demanded  in  marriage  for 
Prince  Eugene,  Princess  Augusta,  daughter  of  the 
Elector  of  Bavaria,  and  a  very  pretty  person.  Tliis 
marriage  has  been  agreed  on  ;  I  have  demanded  an- 
other princess  for  Jerome.  As  you  have  seen  him  last 
tell  me  if  I  can  reckon  on  the  young  man's  consent. 
I  have  also  arranged  a  marriage  for  your  eldest 
daughter  with  a  small  prince,  who  in  time  will  become 
a  great  prince.  As  this  last  marriage  cannot  take 
place  for  some  months,  I  shall  have  time  to  talk  to 
3^ou  about  it.  Tell  mamma,  as  from  me,  about  the 
marriage  of  Prince  Eugene  with  Princess  Augusta. 
I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  mentioned  publicly." 

NAPOLEOJSr  to  princess  JOSEPH. 

"  Munich,  January  9, 1806. 

*'  Madame  my  Sister-in"-law — I  settled  some  time 
ago  the  marriage  of  my  son.  Prince  Eugene,  with  the 
Princess  Augusta,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Bavaria. 
The  Elector  of  Eatisbon  marries  them  at  Munich  on 
the  15th  of  January.  I  am  detained,  therefore,  for  a 
few  days  longer  in  this  town. 

"  The  Princess  Augusta  is  one  of  the  handsomest 
and  most  accomplished  persons  of  her  sex.  It  would 
be  proper,  I  think,  that  you  should  make  her  a  present 
costing  from  15,000,  to  20,000  francs.  She  will  set 
off  for  Italy  on  the  20th  of  January.  The  King  of 
Bavaria  will  write  to  you  to  announce  the  marriage. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  EOXAPART]:.  1<)U 

Whereupou  1  pray  God,  madame,  my  sister-in-law,  to 
keep  you  in  his  holy  aud  worthy  protection." 

The  immediate  provocation  to  invade  Naples,  was 
tlie  unprincipled  disregard  of  that  kingdom,  which  was 
under  the  scepter  of  a  Bourbon,  of  her  pledge  of  neutral- 
ity, and  upon  the  withdrawal  of  St.  Cyr's  army  from 
her  ports  to  join  the  emperor's  campaign,  inviting 
the  English  fleet  into  her  harbors,  and  then  turning 
her  battalions  against  France.  The  truth  is,  Naples 
was  terrified  into  a  submission  which  was  scorned  as 
soon  as  there  was  hope  of  deliverance  from  Napoleonic 
power.  It  was  dishonorable,  and  an  occasion  for  hos- 
tility. Having  now  the  miglit,  the  emperor  resolved  to 
dethrone  the  reigning  sovereign,  and  confiscate  the 
realm  for  his  brother. 

NAPOLEOX  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Stuttgardt,  January  19, 180C. 

"  My  Brother — I  wish  you  to  enter  the  kingdom 
of  Naples  in  the  first  days  of  February,  and  I  wish  to 
hear  from  you  in  the  course  of  Februar}'  that  our  flag 
is  flying  on  the  walls  of  that  capital.  You  will  make 
no  truce  ;  you  will  hear  of  no  capitulation  ;  my  will  is 
that  the  Bourbons  shall  have  ceased  to  reign  at  Naples. 
I  intend  to  seat  on  the  throne  a  prince  of  my  own 
house.  In  the  first  place,  you,  if  it  suits  you  ;  if  not, 
another. 

**  I  repeat  it,  do  not  divide  your  forces  ;  let  your 
army  pass  the  Apennines,  and  let  your  three  corps 
march  on  Naples,  so  disposed  as  to  be  able  to  join  in 
one  day  on  one  field  of  battle.  Leave  a  general,  some 
depots,  some  stores,  and  some  artillerymen  at  Ancona 
for  its  defense,  Naples  once  taken,  the  distant  parts 
of  the  kingdom  will   fall  of  themselves.     The  enemj' 


200  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

m  the  Abruzzi  will  be  taken  iu  the  rear,  and  you  will 
send  a  division  to  Taranto,  and  another  toward  Sicily 
to  conquer  that  kingdom.  I  intend  to  leave  under 
your  orders  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  all  this  year  and 
afterward,  until  I  make  some  new  disposition,  fourteen 
regiments  of  French  cavalry  on  a  full  war  establish- 
ment. Tlie  country  must  find  provisions,  clothes,  re- 
mounts, and  all  that  is  necessary  for  your  army,  so 
that  it  may  not  cost  me  a  farthing." 

Napoleon  began  his  marches  slowly  toward  France, 
making  all  possible  provision  for  the  wounded  which 
were  left  behind  till  the  warmer  air  of  spring.  He 
hastened  to  the  capital,  and  prevented  a  grand  recep- 
tion by  entering  the  city  at  dead  of  night.  He  im- 
mediately commenced  a  scrutiny  of  the  disordered 
bank  of  the  kingdom,  and  surveyed  at  a  glance  the 
details  of  finance,  and  magnificent  plans  of  internal 
improvement. 

He  addressed  a  note  of  approbation  to  Joseph  for  his 
management,  as  his  representative  in  the  capital,  and 
presented  him  an  elegant  snuff-box  with  the  emperor's 
portrait.  A  few  extracts  from  his  further  correspond- 
ence will  continue  the  history  of  his  invasion  of  Naples. 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  January  27, 1806. 

'*  My  Beother — I  hear  that  the  court  of  Naples 
sends  Cardinal  RufCo  to  me  with  propositions  of  peace. 
My  orders  are  that  he  be  not  allowed  to  come  to  Paris. 
You  must  immediately  commence  hostilities,  and  make 
all  your  arrangements  for  taking  immediate  possession 
of  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  without  listening  to  any 
propositions  for  peace,  armistice,  or  suspension  of 
arms — reject  them  all  indiscriminately." 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  201 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  January  30,  1806. 

**  My  Brother — I  suppose  that  by  the  time  you 
receive  this  letter  you  will  be  master  of  Naples.  I  can 
only  repeat  to  you  my  former  instructions  and  my  de- 
cided intention  to  conquer  the  kingdom  of  Naples  and 
Sicily.  As  soon  as  you  are  master  of  Naples  you  will 
send  two  corps,  one  toward  Taranto,  the  other  toward 
the  coast  opposite  Sicily.  You  will  affirm  in  the 
strongest  manner  that  the  King  of  Najsles  will  never  sifc 
again  on  that  throne  ;  that  his  removal  is  necessary  to 
the  peace  of  the  continent,  which  he  has  troubled  twice." 

napoleon  to  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  January  31, 1806. 

*'  My  Brother — It  is  supposed  that  the  Prince  Eoyal 
remains  in  Naples ;  if  so,  seize  him  and  send  him  to 
France,  with  a  sufficient  and  trustworthy  escort.  This 
is   my   express    order.      I    leave    you    no   discretion. 

£<*  *  *  If  any  of  the  great  people  or  others  are 
troublesome,  send  them  to  France,  and  say  that  you  do 
it  by  my  order.  No  half  measures,  no  weakness.  I 
intend  my  blood  to  reign  in  Naples  as  long  as  it  does 
in  France  :  the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  necessary  tome." 

NAPOLEON  to  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  February  7, 1806. 

'*  My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
28th  of  January.  I  thoroughly  approve  your  answer 
to  the  Prince  Eoyal  of  Naples  ;  a  stop  must  be  put  to 
all  such  absurdities.*  Your  drafts  on  Paris  will  be 
regularly  paid.  I  am  surprised  at  the  bad  state  of 
your  artillery,  and  at  your  general  want  of  supplies. 

*  The  king  and  queen  offered  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  the  prince  Joseph 
answered  that  it  was  too  late  ;  that  he  came  to  execute  Napoleon's  orders^ 
Dot  to  treat.— Te. 


202  LTFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

This  comes  of  generals  who  think  only  oT  robbing; 
keep  a  strict  hand  over  them.  I  ask  from  you  only 
one  thing — be  master.  I  am  anxious  to  hear  tliat  you 
are  at  Naples.  I  approve  of  your  delaying  for  a  few 
days  ;  everything  requires  time  ;  I  agree  with  you 
that  it  is  better  to  begin  a  day  or  two  later  and  go 
straightforward.  March  on  boldly.  In  your  endeavors 
to  improve  the  condition  of  your  army  on  their  way  to 
Xaples,  you  will  be  doing  what  I  wish.  You  cannot 
have  too  many  staff-officers.  When  you  enter  Naples, 
proclaim  that  you  will  suffer  no  private  contributions 
to  be  raised,  that  the  whole  army  will  be  rewarded, 
and  that  it  is  not  right  that  only  a  few  individuals 
should  be  enriched  by  the  exertions  of  all. 

ic*  *  *  Do  not  lose  a  day  or  an  hour  in  trying  to 
seize  Sicily  :  many  things  will  be  easy  in  the  first 
moment,  and  difficult  afterward. 

''When  you  have  taken  Naples,  and  all  looks  settled, 
1  will  communicate  to  yon  my  plans  for  getting  yoa 
acknowledged  King  of  Naples. 

#  #  #  *  4:  4: 

"  I  am  well  pleased  with  my  affairs  here.  It  gave  me 
great  trouble  to  bring  them  into  order,  and  to  force  a 
dozen  rogues,  at  whose  head  is  Ourard,  to  refund.  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  to  have  them  shot  without  trial. 
Thank  God  I  have  been  repaid.  This  has  put  me 
somewhat  out  of  humor.  I  tell  you  about  it  that  you 
may  see  how  dishonest  men  are.  You,  who  are  now  at 
the  head  of  a  groat  army  and  will  soon  be  at  that  of  a 
great  administration,  ought  to  be  aware  of  this.  Kog- 
uery  has  been  the  cause  of  all  the  misfortunes  of  France. 

''*  *  *  I  take  the  greatest  interest  in  your 
prosperity,  ami  particularly  in  your  gl<n-y  ;  in  your 
position  it  is  the  first  of  wants  ;  without  it  life  can 
luive  no  charm." 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAIiTE.  203 

Napoleon's  absorbing  love  of  niilitavj  life  is  force- 
fiilly  expressed  in  other  passages  : 

"  The  returns  of  my  armies  form  the  most  agreeable 
portion  of  my  library.  They  are  the  volumes  which  I 
read  with  the  greatest  pleasure  in  my  moments  of 
relaxation. 

ff  *  *  *  Take  pleasure,  if  you  can,  in  reading 
your  returns.  The  good  condition  of  my  armies  is 
owing  to  my  devoting  to  them  two  or  three  hours  in 
every  day.  When  the  monthly  returns  of  my  armies 
and  of  my  fleets,  which  form  twenty  thick  volume?, 
are  sent  to  me,  I  give  up  every  other  occupation  in 
order  to  read  them  in  detail,  and  to  observe  the  difference 
between  one  monthly  return  and  another.  No  young 
girl  enjoys  her  novel  so  much  as  I  do  these  returns." 

The  English  and  the  Eussians  having  abandoned 
the  Neapolitan  territory,  Joseph  led  his  army  on  the 
frontiers  ;  at  which  point  Napoleon  wrote  him,  with 
the  request  to  drop  the  family  name. 

If  APOLEO^S"  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  February  18,  1806. 

*'  My  Brother — Your  letter  of  the  8th  of  February 
has  reached  me.  You  must  have  received  my  procla- 
mation to  my  army  at  Schonbruun,  which  I  had  kept 
in  reserve.  Caution  is  no  longer  necessary.  You  are 
already  master  of  Naples,  and  on  the  point  of  taking 
Sicily  by  surprise  ;  this  is  your  chief  aim.  The  Nea- 
politan arrangements  are  already  approved  by  Prussia. 
You  should  entitle  your  acts  '  Joseph  Napoleon  ' ;  you 
need  not  add  *  Bonaparte.' "  * 

The  court  passed  over  into  Sicilv,  and  Josejjh  was 

*  From  this  time  the  family  changed  tlieir  name  to  Napoleon. 


20J:  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

proclaimed  King  of  Naples.  Napoleon  gave  him  royal 
counsel  respecting  the  securities  of  his  throne,  and  ab- 
solute dictation. 

]srAPOLEO]sr  to  Joseph. 

"  Paris,  March  3, 1806. 

"  My  Brother — You  are  too  cautious.  Naples  can 
well  give  you  four  or  five  millions.  Announce  my 
speedy  arrival  at  Naples.  It  is  so  far  off  that  I  do  nob 
dare  to  promise  you  that  I  shall  go,  but  there  is  no 
harm  in  announcing  it,  both  for  the  sake  of  the  army 
and  the  people. 

**  Your  troubles  are  wliat  always  occur.  Never  go 
out  without  guards.  *  *  *  In  all  your  calculations 
assume  tliis  ;  that  a  fortnight  sooner  or  a  fortnight  later 
you  will  have  an  insurrection.  It  is  an  event  of  uniform 
occurrence  in  a  conquered  country.  *  *  *  Whatever 
you  do  the  mere  force  of  opinion  [Joseph  had  written 
— '  This  town  appears  to  me  more  populous  than  Paris. 
I  can  maintain  my  position  only  by  the  assistance  of 
public  opinion ']  will  not  maintain  you  in  a  city  like 
Naples.  Take  care  that  there  are  mortars  in  the  forts 
and  troops  in  reserve  to  punish  speedily  an  insurrection. 
Disarm,  and  do  it  quickly.  *  *  *  I  presume  that  you 
have  cannon  in  your  palaces,  and  take  all  proper  pre- 
cautions for  your  safety.  You  cannot  watch  too  nar- 
rowly those  about  you.  The  presumjjtion  and  careless- 
ness of  the  French  are  unequaled. 

"All  the  troubles  under  which  you  are  suffering 
belong  to  your  position.  Disarm,  disarm,  keep  order 
in  that  immense  city.  Keep  your  artillery  in  positions 
where  tlie  mob  cannot  seize  them.  Reckon  on  a  riot 
or  a  small  insurrection.  I  wish  that  I  could  give  you 
the  benefit  of  my  experience  in  these  matters." 

Four  days  later  he  added : 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  205 

**  Let  the  lazzaroni  who  use  the  dagger  be  shot  witli- 
out  mercy.  It  is  only  by  a  salutary  terror  that  you  will 
keep  in  awe  an  Italian  populace.  The  least  that  the 
conquest  of  Naples  must  do  for  you  is  to  afford  supplies 
to  your  army  of  forty  thousand  men.  Lay  a  contribu- 
tion of  thirty  millions  on  the  whole  kingdom.  Your 
conduct  wants  decision.  Your  soldiers  and  your  gen- 
erals ought  to  live  in  plenty.  Of  course,  you  will  call 
together  the  priests  and  declare  thom  responsible  for 
any  disorder.  The  lazzaroni  must  have  chiefs  ;  they 
must  answer  for  the  rest.  Whatever  you  do,  you  will 
have  an  insurrection.  Disarm.  You  say  nothing 
about  the  forts.  If  necessary,  do  as  I  did  in  Cairo  : 
prepare  three  or  four  batteries,  whose  shells  shall  reach 
every  part  of  Xaples.  You  may  not  use  them,  but  their 
mere  existence  will  strike  terror.  The  kingdom  of 
Naples  is  not  exhausted.  You  can  always  get  money  ; 
since  there  are  royal  fiefs,  and  taxes  which  have  been 
given  away.  Every  alienation  of  the  royal  domains  or 
of  the  taxes — though  its  existence  may  be  immemorial 
— must  be  annulled,  and  a  system  of  taxation,  equal 
and  severe,  must  be  established.  *  *  *  You  have  no 
money,  but  you  have  a  good  army  and  a  good  country 
to  supply  you.  Prepare  for  the  siege  of  Gaeta.  You 
speak  of  the  insufficiency  of  your  military  force.  Two 
regiments  of  cavalry,  two  battalions  of  light  infantry, 
and  a  company  of  artillery,  would  put  to  flight  all  the 
mob  of  Naples.  But  the  first  of  all  things  is  to  have 
money,  and  yon  can  get  it  only  in  Naples.  A  contri- 
bution of  thirty  millions  will  provide  for  everything, 
and  put  you  at  your  ease.  Tell  me  something  about 
the  forts.  I  presume  that  they  command  the  town, 
and  that  you  have  put  provisional  commandants  into 
them.  You  must  set  about  organizing  a  gendarmerie. 
Yon   feel,  on  entering  Xaples,  as  every   one   feels  on 


206  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

entering  a  conquered  country.  Naples  is  richer  than 
Vienna,  and  not  so  exhausted.  Milan  itself,  when  I 
entered  it,  had  not  a  farthing.  Once  more,  expect  no 
money  from  me.  The  five  hundred  thousand  francs  in 
gold,  which  I  sent  to  you,  are  tlie  last  I  shall  send  to 
Naples.  I  care  not  so  much  about  t])ree  or  four  mil- 
lions, as  about  the  principle.  Raise  thirty  millions,  pay 
your  army,  treat  well  your  generals  and  commanders, 
put  your  material  in  order." 

The  purpose  to  make  the  people  pay  the  invading 
army  ;  the  establishment  of  nobility,  and  all  the  sup- 
ports of  a  sjolendid  monarcliy,  are  apparent  in  a  subse- 
quent letter  to  Joseph,  who  was  an  amiable,  kind- 
hearted  man,  and  too  yielding  and  symj)athizing  to 
suit  his  younger,  but  imperial  brother  : 

NAPOLEOX   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  March  8, 1806. 

*'My  Brother — I  see  that  by  one  of  your  procla- 
mations you  promise  to  impose  no  war  contribution, 
and  that  you  forbid  your  soldiers  to  require  those  who 
lodge  them  to  feed  them.  It  seems  to  me  that  your 
measures  are  too  narrow.  It  is  not  by  being  civil  to 
j)eople  that  you  obtain  a  hold  on  them.  This  is  not 
the  way  to  get  the  means  to  reward  your  army  prop- 
erly. Raise  thirty  millions  from  the  kingdom  of 
Naples.  Pay  well  your  army ;  remount  well  your 
cavalry  and  your  trains  ;  have  shoes  and  clothes  made. 
This  cannot  be  done  without  money.  As  for  me  it 
Avould  be  too  absurd  if  the  conquest  of  Naples  did  not 
put  my  army  at  its  ease.  It  is  impossible  that  you 
should  keep  within  the  bounds  wliicli  you  profess. 
Back  yourself,  if  you  like,  by  an  order  of  mine. 

*  *  *  *  :i:  * 

**  You   must  establisli   in   the  kingdom  of  Naplea  a 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  207 

certain  number  of  French  families,  holding  fiefs  either 
carved  out  of  domains  of  the  crown,  or  taken  from 
tlieir  present  possessors,  or  from  the  monks  by  dimin- 
isliing  the  number  of  convents.  In  my  opinion  your 
throne  will  have  no  solidity  unless  you  surround  it  with 
a  hundred  generals,  colonels,  and  others  attached  to 
your  house,  possessing  great  fiefs  of  the  kingdom  of 
Naples  and  Sicily.  Bernadotte  and  Massena  should, 
I  think,  be  fixed  in  Naples,  with  the  title  of  princes, 
and  with  large  revenues.  Enable  them  to  found  great 
families :  1  do  this  in  Piedmont,  the  kingdom  of  Italy, 
and  Parma.  In  these  countries  and  in  Naples  three 
or  four  hundred  French  military  men  ought  to  be  es- 
tablished with  property  descending  by  primogeniture. 
In  a  few  years  they  will  marry  into  the  jirincipal  fam- 
ilies, and  your  throne  will  be  strong  enough  to  do 
without  a  French  army — a  point  which  must  be  reached. 
In  the  discussions  between  Naples  and  France,  France 
will  never  desire  to  supply  Naples  with  more  troops 
than  are  absolutely  necessary.  She  will  always  wish  to 
keej")  them  together  to  meet  her  other  enemies.  1  in- 
tend to  giveDalmatiato  a  prince,  as  well  as  Neufchatel, 
which  Prussia  has  ceded  to  me. 

"There  are  about  one  hundred  old  guardes-du-corps 
here,  good  men,  who  may  be  useful  in  your  body-guard, 
mixed  with  the  Neapolitan  nobles." 

Holland,  which  had  been  overswept  in  her  revolu- 
tionary struggles  by  England,  and  delivered  from  the 
enemy  by  the  interposition  of  France,  was  now  induced 
to  ask  the  emperor  for  a  king  in  the  person  of  Louis 
Bonaparte.  This  amiable  prince,  who  had  nuirricd  the 
graceful  Hortense,  Josephine's  daughter,  was  cstal)- 
lislied  at  the  Hague,  Ma}^  Gth,  ISOC.  He  became  a  de- 
servedly popular  ruler. 


208  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

The  Kings  of  Wirtemberg  and  Bavaria,  with  four- 
teen other  princes  of  various  degrees  of  rank,  occupy- 
ing the  valley  of  the  Rhine  in  the  west  of  Germany, 
associated  themselves  together  in  an  alliance  called  the 
Confederation  of  tlie  Rliine,  and  Napoleon  became,  ac- 
cording to  his  design,  Frotector.  This  reach  of  author- 
ity virtually  dismembered  tlie  German  Empire,  and 
added  some  of  its  most  beautiful  portions  to  the  realm 
of  France.  Napoleon,  while  thus  increasing  his  power, 
was  raising  barriers  against  his  foreign  foes.  He  was 
a  noble  monarch  in  his  schemes  of  national  progress 
and  universal  sway,  but  nevertheless,  a  king  whose  law 
of  conquest  and  control  was/orce — and  whose  pole-star 
of  wondrous  thought  was  glory,  with  little  reverence 
for  man  in  his  individual  worth,  and  as  little  for  God 
in  liis  real  character  and  spiritual  worship. 

Mr.  Fox  had  succeeded  Pitt  in  the  cabinet  of  Eng- 
land, and  was  his  antagonist  in  politics.  Plis  friendly 
relations  to  Napoleon  awakened  the  hope  and  expecta- 
tion among  the  people,  of  peace.  But  the  aristocracy 
of  England  were  unchanged  in  that  hostility  to  the 
emperor,  which  had  its  stern  and  unalterable  expres- 
sion in  the  government  of  Pitt.  Napoleon's  views  were 
expressed  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Fox  :  "  France  will  not 
dispute  with  England  the  conquests  England  has  made. 
Neither  does  France  claim  anything  more  on  the  con- 
tinent than  she  now  has.  It  will,  therefore,  be  easy  to 
lay  down  the  basis  of  a  j)eace,  if  England  has  not  in- 
admissible views  relative  to  commercial  interests.  The 
emperor  is  persuaded  that  the  real  cause 'of  the  rupture 
of  the  peace  of  Amiens  was  no  other  than  the  refusal 
to  conclude  a  cotnmercial  treaty.  Be  assured  tliat 
the  emperor,  Avithout  refusing  certain  commercial  ad- 
vantages, if  they  are  sought,  will  not  admit  of  any 
treaty  prejudicial  to  French  industry,  which  he  meaiia 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTK  209 

to  protect  by  all  duties  and  prohibitions  which  can 
favor  its  development.  He  insists  on  having  liberty 
to  do  at  home  all  that  he  pleases,  all  that  is  beneficial, 
without  any  rival  nation  having  a  right  to  find  fault 
with  him." 

The  entire  intercourse  between  Napoleon  and  Mr. 
Fox  was  frank  and  cordial.  Exchange  of  several 
prisoners  of  note  was  had,  and  no  bitter  words  were 
passed.  Besides  the  storm  in  parliament,  the  prospect 
of  a  treaty  declined  as  the  conditions  were  more  dis- 
tinctly announced.  England  wanted  Malta,  and  also 
Hanover  given  to  Prussia  by  Napoleon  after  the  peace 
of  Presburg.  Najioleon  was  determined  to  have  Sicily. 
To  complete  the  difficulties,  and  remove  the  last  ground 
of  anticipated  reconciliation,  Mr.  Fox  died,  September, 
1806. 

The  interesting  letters  of  the  emperor  furnish  a  vivid 
view  of  the  crisis. 

N'APOLEO]Sr  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  St.  Cloud,  September  12, 1806. 

"  My  Brothek — I  told  yon  that  Russia  had  not  rati- 
fied. Prussia  is  arming  in  a  most  ridiculous  manner  ; 
however,  she  shall  soon  disarm,  or  pay  dearly  for  what 
she  is  doing.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  vacillation  of 
that  cabinet.  The  court  of  Vienna  makes  me  great 
protestations,  and  its  total  want  of  power  inclines  me 
to  put  faith  in  them.  AYhatever  happens,  I  can  face, 
and  luill  face,  every  enemy.  The  conscription  which 
I  have  just  levied  is  going  on  in  every  direction.  I 
am  going  to  call  out  my  reserve  ;  *  I  am  fully  provided, 

*  In  France,  usually  only  half  the  conscripts  are  called  out  at  first ;  the 
other  half  is  called  the  reserve,  and  in  peace  is  seldom  called  out.  It  re- 
mains, however,  liable  to  serve  ;  and  on  an  emergency,  the  reserves  of  the 
four  or  five  previous  years  are  sometimes  called  out  together.  This  was 
done  in  1S54.— Tr. 
14 


210  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  in  want  of  nothing.  Whether  it  be  war  or  peace 
I  shall  not  diminish  your  army.  In  a  few  days  per- 
haps I  may  put  myself  at  the  head  of  my  grand  army  ; 
it  consists  of  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men,  and  with  that  force  I  can  reduce  to  submission 
Vienna,  Berlin,  and  St.  Petersburg.  There  will  be  a 
somewhat  formidable  army  in  Upper  Italy.  Keep 
these  dispositions  secret ;  they  will  be  best  proclaimed 
by  victory. 

''Press  your  enemies  sharply;  drive  them  out  of 
the  peninsula ;  recover  Cotrona,  Scylla,  and  Eeggio. 
Jerome  has  landed  ;  I  have  made  him  a  prince,  and  I 
have  given  him  the  great  cordon  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.  I  have  arranged  his  marriage  with  the  Prin- 
cess Catherine,  the  Duke  of  Wirtemberg's  daughter. 
As  I  shall  be  obliged  to  call  for  a  plebiscitum  on  his  ac- 
count, that  is  to  say  the  sanction  of  the  people  to  his 
succession  to  the  crown,  I  wish  Lucien  not  to  let  slip 
this  opportunity.* 

"  Be  quite  easy  about  political  affairs  ;  go  on  as  if 
nothing  were  happening.  If  indeed  I  am  again  forced 
to  strike,  my  measures  are  so  well  and  surely  taken, 
that  the  first  notice  to  Europe  of  my  departure  from 
Paris  will  be  the  total  ruin  of  my  enemies.  Let  your 
newspaper::  uescribe  me  as  occupied  in  Paris  with 
huntinr,  amusements,  and  negotiations.  If  the  war- 
like preparations  of  Prussia  are  mentioned,  let  it  be 
supposed  that  they  take  place  with  my  consent  ;  and 
M.  Humboldt  must  have  received  orders  to  proceed  to 
your  court  as  Prussian  minister.  I  will  never  lay 
down  my  arms  unless  Naples  and  Sicily  are  yours.  I 
liave  called  your  attention  to  Pcscara  :  keep  there  a 

•  Joseph  wrote  to  Lucien.  Lvicien  answered  that  he  woukl  not  part 
with  lii-^  wife  or  make  any  chanpe  in  the  position  of  his  children,  and  that 
solicitations  to  him,  which  must  met^t  with  refusals,  were  useless. — Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  211 

gufficient  quantity  of  powder,  of  gun-carriages,  a  mili- 
tary commandant,  an  engineer  officer,  an  artillery  offi- 
cer, a  storekeeper,  a  commissariat  officer,  a  garrison  of 
four  or  five  hundred  men,  and  provisions  for  a  month. 
Order  the  troops  in  tlie  Abruzzi  to  shut  themselves  up 
in  Pescara  in  an  emergency,  sending  word  at  the  same 
time  to  the  general  in  command  at  Ancona.  If  the 
enemy  succeeded  in  landing  and  throwing  a  thousand 
men  into  that  place,  he  would  soon  be  able  to  sustain  a 
siege,  which  would  be  very  inconvenient. 

"In  the  midst  of  all  these  events  I  do  not  forget  the 
sea.  I  have  schemes  which  may  possibly  in  a  month 
or  two  make  me  master  of  the  Mediterranean.** 

KAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

'*  St.  Cloud,  September  13, 1806. 

**  My  Brother — Everything  proves  that  Mr.  Fox 
is  dead.  Lord  Yarmouth  has  been  triumphantly  re- 
ceived in  London,  because  he  was  known  to  belong  to 
the  peace  party.  Mr.  Fox's  illness  has  filled  the  nation 
with  consternation.  The  ministers  seemed  delighted 
with  these  demonstrations,  and  all  hope  of  peace  is  not 
yet  lost.  The  English  minister  in  Paris  is  too  ill  to  see 
any  body.  He  has  attended  no  conference  since  the 
arrival  of  his  last  courier.  Prussia  makes  me  a  thousand 
protestations,  which  do  not  prevent  my  taking  my 
precautions  :  in  a  few  days  she  will  have  disarmed,  or 
she  will  be  crushed.  Austria  declares  her  intention  to 
remain  neutral.  Kussia  does  not  know  what  she  wants, 
but  her  distance  renders  her  powerless.  Such,  in  two 
words,  is  the  state  of  affairs. 

"^I  fancy  that  in  the  course  of  the  next  ten  days  the 
peace  of  the  continent  will  be  more  settled  than  ever. 
As  to  England,  I  can  conjecture  nothing.  Her  con- 
duct is  decided,  not  by  general  politics,  but  by  internal 


212  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

intrigues.  The  last  news  announced  that  Mr.  Fox  was 
at  the  point  of  death  ;  his  friends  are  deploring  his  loss 
as  if  he  were  already  dead.'* 

Prussia  had  never  been  satisfied  with  Napoleon's 
apology  for  violating  her  territory,  when,  surrounding 
Mack  at  Ulm,  he  crossed  Anspach  with  his  troops. 
Of  this,  amid  the  returning  hostility  to  France  in 
Russia,  and  its  fresh  intensity  in  England,  she  com- 
plained ;  and  mustering  her  legions,  joined  the  new 
coalition  with  those  mighty  empires,  to  crush  Napo- 
leon. She  marched  her  army,  two  hundred  thousand 
strong,  into  Saxony. 

''The  conduct  of  Prussia,  in  thus  rushing  into  hos- 
tilities without  waiting  for  the  advance  of  the  Russians, 
was  as  rash  as  her  holding  back  from  Austria,  during 
the  campaign  of  Austerliz,  had  been  cowardly.  As 
if  determined  to  profit  by  no  lesson,  the  Prussian 
council  also  directed  their  army  to  advance  toward  the 
French,  instead  of  lying  on  their  own  frontier — a  rep- 
etition of  the  great  leading  blunder  of  the  Austrians 
in  the  preceding  year.  The  Prussian  army  accordingly 
invaded  the  Saxon  provinces,  and  the  Elector  of  Saxony, 
seeing  his  country  treated  as  rudely  as  that  of  the  Elec- 
tor of  Bavaria  had  been  on  a  similar  occasion  by  the 
Austrians,  and  wanting  the  means  to  withdraw  his  own 
troops  as  the  Bavarian  had  succeeded  in  doing  under 
like  provocation,  was  compelled  to  accept  the  alliance 
which  Prussia  urged  on  him,  and  to  join  his  troops 
with  those  of  the  power  by  which  he  had  been  thus  in- 
sulted and  wronged." 

Napoleon  led  his  legions  forward,  confused  the  Prus- 
sians by  rapid  movements,  and  soon  encamped  in  their 
rear,  cutting  off  supplies,  and  possibility  of  retreat. 
He  again  made  eHorts  to  save  the  needless  flow  of  blood, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.      213 

and  wrote  the  king,  nrging  the  cessation  of  hostilities 
and  carnuge.  No  reply  Avas  received,  and  his  troops 
advanced  in  three  divisions  :  Soult  and  Ney  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Hof  ;  Murat,  Bernadotte,  and  Davoust  toward 
Saalburg,  and  Lannes  and  Augereau  upon  Saalfield. 
At  Saalfield  there  was  a  fierce  battle  with  the  corps  of 
Prince  Louis  of  Prussia,  in  which  the  French  wore 
victorious,  and  blew  up  Xaumburg  with  its  magazines. 
The  prince  was  mortally  wounded,  and  the  Prussian 
forces  completely  surrounded  by  the  enemy. 

At  Jena  and  Auerstadt,  the  great  armies  met  in  de- 
cisive conflict.  Napoleon  perceived  on  the  evening  of 
October  13th,  that  the  battle  must  come  the  following 
day,  although  his  heavy  train  of  artillery  was  still 
many  hours  behind.  But  he  encouraged  his  men,  who, 
with  what  seemed  superhuman  strength,  drew  the 
guns  which  they  had  up  a  lofty  plateau  in  front  of 
Jena,  and  prepared  for  the  desperate  action.  "•'Lan- 
nes commanded  the  center  ;  Augereau  the  right  ; 
Soult  the  left ;  and  Murat  the  reserve  and  cavalry. 
Soult  had  to  sustain  the  first  assault  of  the  Prus- 
sians, which  was  violent  and  sudden  ;  for  the  mist  lay 
so  thick  on  the  field  that  the  armies  were  within  half 
gunshot  of  each  other  ere  the  sun  and  wind  rose  and 
discovered  them  ;  and  on  that  instant  Mollendorf 
charged.  The  battle  was  contested  well  for  some  time 
on  this  point  ;  but  at  length  Ney  appeared  in  the  rear 
of  the  emperor  with  a  fresh  division  ;  and  then  the 
French  center  advanced  to  a  general  charge,  before 
which  the  Prussians  Avere  forced  to  retire.  They 
moved  for  some  space  in  good  order  ;  but  Murat  now 
poured  his  masses  of  cavalry  on  them,  storm  after 
storm,  with  such  rapidity  and  vehemence  that  their 
rout  became  miserable.  It  ended  in  the  complete 
breaking   up  of   the  army — horse  and  foot   all  flying 


214  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

together,  in  the  coufusiou  of  panic,  upon  the  road  to 
Weimar.  At  that  point  the  fugitives  met  and  mingled 
with  their  brethren  flying,  as  confusedly  as  themselves; 
from  Auerstadt.  In  the  course  of  this  disastrous 
day,  twenty  thousand  Prussians  were  killed  or  taken  ; 
three  hundred  guns,  twenty  generals,  and  sixty  stand- 
ards. The  commander-in-chief,  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, being  wounded  in  the  face  with  a  grape-shot,  was 
carried  early  off  the  field,  never  to  recover.  The  loss  of 
superior  officers  on  the  Prussian  side  was  so  great,  that 
of  an  army  which,  on  the  evening  of  the  13th  of  October, 
mustered  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand, 
but  a  few  regiments  were  ever  able  to  act  in  concert  for 
some  time  after  the  14th.  The  various  routed  divisions 
roamed  about  the  country,  seeking  separately  the 
means  of  escape  ;  they  were  in  consequence  destined 
to  fall  an  easy  prey.  Mollendorf  and  the  Prince  of 
Orange-Fulda  laid  down  their  arms  at  Erfurt.  General 
Kalkreuth's  corps  was  overtaken  and  surrounded  among 
the  Hartz  mountains  ;  Prince  Eugene  of  Wirtemberg 
and  sixteen  thousand  men,  surrendered  to  Bernadotte 
at  Halle.  The  Prince  of  Hohenlohe  at  length  drew 
together  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  of  these  wandering 
soldiers,  and  threw  himself  at  their  head  into  Magdeburg. 
But  it  turned  out  that  that  great  fortress  had  been 
stripped  of  all  its  stores  for  the  service  of  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick's  army  before  Jena.  Hohenlohe,  therefore, 
was  compelled  to  retreat  toward  the  Oder.  He  was 
defeated  in  a  variety  of  skirmishes  ;  and  at  length, 
finding  himself  devoid  of  ammunition  or  provisions, 
laid  down  his  arms  at  Prenzlow ;  twenty  thousand 
surrendered  with  the  prince.  His  rear,  consisting  of 
about  ten  thousand,  under  the  command  of  the  celebrated 
general  Blucher,  were  so  far  behind  as  to  render  it 
possible   for  them   to  attempt   escape.     Their   heroic 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2l5 

leader  traversed  the  country  with  them  for  some  time 
nubroken,  and  sustained  a  variety  of  assaults,  from  far 
superior  numbers,  with  the  most  obstinate  resolution. 
]>y  degrees,  however,  the  French  under  Soult  hemmed 
him  in  on  one  side,  Muratonthe  other,  and  Bernadotte 
appeared  close  behind  him.  He  was  thus  forced  to  throw 
himself  into  Lubeck,  wliere  a  severe  action  was  fought 
in  the  streets  of  the  town,  on  the  Gtli  of  November. 
The  Prussians  in  this  battle  lost  four  thousand 
prisoners,  besides  the  slain  and  wounded  :  he  retreated 
to  Schwerta,  and  there,  it  being  impossible  for  him  to 
go  further  without  violating  the  neutrality  of  Denmark, 
on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Bluclier  at  length  laid  down 
his  arms — having  exhibited  a  specimen  of  conduct  and 
valor  such  as  certainly  had  not  been  displaj'ed  by  am- 
of  his  superiors  in  the  campaign." 

Bonaparte  entered  Berlin  the  2oth  of  October.  The 
Prussian  monarchy  had  crumbled  before  the  march  of 
his  resistless  battalions,  and  lay  in  ruins  at  his  feet.  He 
describes  the  grand  success  : 

XAPOLEOX  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Berlik,  November  4, 1806. 

"'  My  Bkother — The  bulletins  will  have  informed 
you  of  what  is  going  on  here.  I  have  taken  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  prisoners  ;  j^ark,  maga- 
zines, baggage,  everything  has  fallen  into  my  power. 
The  three  fortresses  on  the  Oder  have  capitulated.  I 
have  completely  crushed  the  power  of  Prussia.  Austria 
has  begun  to  arm  on  the  pretext  of  protecting  her 
neutrality.  We  must  make  corresponding  preparations 
in  Upper  Italy.  If  Austria  were  to  attack  us,  yon 
would  gain  this  advantage  by  my  position — that  the 
Eussians  would  concentrate  their  forces  in  Poland,  and 
that  England  would  direct  hers  upon  Sweden. 
****** 


216  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

"  I  am  on  the  borders  of  Poland ;  to  make  war  in 
that  country  one  must  have  cavalry.  Eelying  on  your 
sending  back  yours,  I  have  withdrawn  eight  regiments 
of  horse  from  Italy,  and  if  you  fail  me,  enough  will 
not  be  left  there.  The  last  two  months  have  been  spent 
in  arming  and  victualing  my  strong  places  in  Italy.  I 
have  just  given  orders  that  my  army  may  be  assembled 
by  the  1st  of  December  ;  it  will  consist  altogether  of 
more  than  sixty  thousand  men." 

Napoleon  took  possession  of  the  royal  palace,  with 
triumphal  display  ;  ajid  in  his  bulletin  having  spoken 
severely  of  the  queen  who  rode  at  the  head  of  her 
troops,  animating  them  with  her  fiery  valor  and  beauty, 
Josephine  remonstrated  in  a  letter  to  him.  In  his 
reply,  he  narrates  briefly  the  pardon  of  the  Prince  of 
Hatzfeld,  who  was  governor  of  Berlin  under  Napoleon's 
protection,  but  secretly  in  correspondence  with  the 
Prussian  army.  He  was  arrested,  taken  before  a  court- 
martial,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPHINE. 

"  November  6, 1806  ;  9  o'clock  p.  m. 

**  I  have  received  your  letter,  in  which,  it  seems,  you 
reproach  me  for  speaking  ill  of  women.  True  it  is, 
that  above  all  things  1  dislike  female  intriguers.  I 
have  been  accustomed  to  kind,  gentle,  conciliatory 
women.  Such  I  love,  and  if  they  have  spoiled  me,  it 
is  not  my  fault,  but  yours.  However,  you  will  see  that 
I  have  acted  indulgently  toward  one  sensible  and 
deserving  woman.  I  allude  to  Madame  Hatzfeld. 
When  I  showed  her  her  husband's  letter,  she  burst  into 
tears  ;  and  said  in  a  tone  of  the  most  exquisite  grief  and 
candor,  *  It  is  indeed  his  writing  1 '  This  was  too 
much  ;  it  went  to  my  heart.     I  said,  *  Well,  madame. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  217 

throw  the  letter  into  the  fire,  and  then  I  sliall  liuve  no 
proof  against  your  husband.'  She  burned  the  letter, 
and  was  restored  to  happiness.  Her  husband  is  now- 
safe.  Two  hours  later,  and  he  would  have  been  lost. 
You  see,  therefore,  that  I  like  women  who  are  feminine, 
unaffected  and  amiable,  for  they  alone  resemble  you. 
Adieu,  my  love.     I  am  very  well." 

Such  an  incident,  is  a  pleasant  interlude  to  the 
clangor  of  arms,  the  groans  of  the  dying  and  the  wail 
of  anguish  from  the  living.  Napoleon  had  feeling,  but 
with  rare  excerptions  it  was  subordinated  altogether  to 
his  lofty  plans  of  national  and  personal  grandeur.  It 
never  turned  aside  the  wasting  strokes  of  his  avenging 
arms,  when  the  terror  they  inspired  was  auxiliary  to  the 
ultimate  object.  Madame  Hatzfeld  was  restored  to 
happiness  ;  but  a  great  company,  in  the  march  of 
empire,  were  consigned  to  hopeless  sorrow. 


218  LIFE  OF  NAPOLECN  BONAPARTE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  position  of  the  hostile  parties.— The  Berlin  decrees. — ^The  war  goe.a 
on. — Battle  of  Eylau. — Letter  to  Josephine. ^Offers  of  peace  rejected. — 
Preparations  for  another  campaign. — Battle  of  Friedland. — The  peace  of 
Tilsit. — Friendship  of  Napoleon  and  Alexander. — Correspondence. — Na- 
poleon's magnificent  plans.— Code  Napoleon. — Designs  upon  Spain  and 
Portugal. — Letters. — Tour  to  Italy. — Disagreement  witJi  Lucien. — Por- 
tugal taken. — Invasion  of  Spain. — Letters. — The  abdication. — Joseph 
designated  for  the  vacant  throne. — His  reluctant  and  unquiet  reign. — The 
meeting  of  the  emperors  at  Erfurth.— Josephine's  divorce  suggested.— 
Eevolution  in  Spain. — Victories. — Letters.— Joseph  again  enthroned.— 
His  complaint  of  Napoleon.— Intelligence  of  an  Austrian  campaign. — 
Battles  of  Eckmuhl  and  Wagram. — Quarrel  with  the  Pope.— Peace. — 
Divorce  of  Josephine. 

A  week's  campaign  had  changed  the  fortunes  of 
Prussia.  With  a  remnant  of  his  almost  annihilated 
army  the  king  had  fled  to  the  frontier  of  Pohantl,  and 
was  '^\'elcomed  witli  sad  surprise  by  the  advancing 
Alexander  of  Eussia.  He  refused  renewed  propositions 
of  peace,  and  prepared  with  his  powerful  ally  again  to 
meet  France  on  the  battle-plain. 

England,  tlioroughly  aroused,  violated  the  law  of 
nations  in  her  proclamation  that  France  was  in  a  state 
of  blockade  in  regard  to  all  nations,  whether  hostile  or 
neutral.  Private  property  of  tlie  enemy  on  the  sea,  was 
seized,  and  passengers  there,  made  prisoners. 

Napoleon  retaliated  by  issuing  a  manifesto,  and 
eleven  edicts,  called  the  Berlin  Decrees — a  measure 
famous  among  the  boldest  acts  of  their  author.  The 
British  islands  were  declared  to  be  blockaded,  and 
English  property  on  the  continent  confiscated  ;  Eng- 
lishmen wherever  found  were  taken  prisoners,  and 
all    intercourse,   commercial    or    civil,   forbidden    as 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  219 

treason  against  the  government.  The  difficulties  in  the 
wa}'  of  a  practical  working  of  the  decrees  were  very- 
great.  The  fabrics  of  England,  and  tlie  necessaries  of 
life  which  she  furnished,  had  become  indispensable  to 
domestic  comfort.  Evasions  were  sought,  and  dissat- 
isfaction was  general.  But  the  question  of  right  in  a 
national  view,  hinges  on  the  disputed  fact  of  re^a/mi/ow. 
And  odious  as  the  Berlin  decrees  Avere  to  the  people 
of  Europe,  no  careful  reader  of  the  conflicting  testi- 
mony, can  doubt  the  provocation  given,  "  by  issuing 
in  May,  1806,  the  blockade  of  the  French  coasts  of  the 
English  channel."  It  Avas  now  the  autumn  of  the 
same  year,  and  Napoleon  was  master  of  Northern  Ger- 
many, bringing  almost  the  entire  coast  of  Europe 
under  his  sway ;  affording  the  opportunity  he  was 
prompt  to  improve,  of  embarrassing  and  crippling  liis 
formidable  foe.  Another  act  in  the  tragedy  of  wide- 
spread war  was  immediately  opened. 

The  emperor  "prepared,  without  further  delay,  to 
extinguish  the  feeble  spark  of  resistance  which  still 
lingered  in  a  few  garrisons  of  the  Prussian  monarchy 
beyond  the  Oder  ;  and  to  meet,  ere  they  could  reach 
the  soil  of  Germany,  those  Eussian  legions  which  were 
now  advancing,  too  late,  to  the  assistance  of  Ei-ederic 
William.  That  unfortunate  jDrinee  sent  Lucchesini  to 
Berlin,  to  open,  if  possible,  a  negotiation  with  the  vic- 
torious occupant  of  his  capital  and  palace ;  but  Bona- 
parte demanded  Dautzic,  and  two  other  fortified  towns, 
as  the  price  of  even  the  briefest  armistice ;  and  the 
Italian  envoy  returned,  to  inform  the  king  that  no 
hope  remained  for  him  except  in  the  arrival  of  the 
Russians. 

"  Napoleon  held  in  his  hands  the  means  of  opening 
his  campaign  with  those  allies  of  Prussia,  under  cir- 
cumstances involving  his  enemy  in  a  new  and  prob- 


^20  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ably  endless  train  of  difficulties.  The  partition  of 
Poland — that  great  political  crime,  for  which  every 
power  that  had  part  in  it  has  since  been  severely, 
though  none  of  theni  adequately,  jounished — had  left 
the  population  of  what  had  once  been  a  great  and 
powerful  kingdom,  in  a  state  of  discontent  and  irrita- 
tion, of  which,  had  Napoleon  been  willing  to  make 
full  use  of  it,  the  fruits  might  have  been  more  dan- 
gerous for  the  czar  than  any  campaign  against  any 
foreign  enemy.  The  French  emperor  had  but  to  an- 
nounce distinctly  that  his  purpose  was  the  restoration 
of  Poland  as  an  independent  state,  and  the  whole  mass 
of  an  eminently  gallant  and  warlike  jDopulation  would 
have  risen  instantly  at  his  call.  But  Bonaparte  was 
withheld  from  resorting  to  this  effectual  means  of  an- 
noyance by  various  considerations,  of  which  the  chief 
were  these :  first,  he  could  not  emancipate  Poland 
without  depriving  Austria  of  a  rich  and  important 
province,  and  consequently  provoking  her  once  more 
into  the  field ;  and  secondly,  he  foresaw  that  the 
Russian  emperor,  if  threatened  with  the  destruction 
of  his  Polish  territory  and  authority,  would  urge  the 
war  in  a  very  different  manner  from  that  which  he 
was  likely  to  adopt  while  acting  only  as  the  ally  of 
Prussia.  In  a  word.  Napoleon  was  well  aware  of  the 
extent  of  the  czar's  resources,  and  had  no  wish  at  this 
time  to  give  a  character  of  irremediable  bitterness  to 
their  quarrel  ;  but  though  lie  for  these  reasons  refrained 
from  openly  appealing  in  his  own  person  to  the  Poles 
as  a  nation,  yet  he  had  no  scruple  about  permitting 
others  to  tamper,  in  his  behalf,  with  the  justly  indig- 
nant feelings  of  the  people.  Some  Polish  officers  were 
already  enlisted  in  his  army,  and  through  these  and 
others,  he  contrived  to  awaken  the  outraged  passions 
of  their  countrymen,    many  of   whom   flocked  to  his 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  221 

standard,  in  the  fond  belief  that  he  was  to  be   the  lib- 
erator of  their  nation." 

He  issued  another  address  to  the  army,  many  of 
whose  troops  were  reluctant  to  leave  comfortable  quar- 
ters for  the  snow-plains  of  Eussian  war,  which  like  a 
trumpet-call  awakened  the  enthusiasm  IS^apoleon  only 
could  inspire — a  source  of  power  greater  than  all  others 
wielded  by  his  genius. 

The  Eussians  and  Prussians  lay,  a  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  strong,  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula. 
It  was  four  hundred  miles  from  Berlin  to  Warsaw,  to- 
ward which  the  French  battalions  marched  amid  the 
bitter  cold  and  driving  storms  of  winter.  The  horrors 
of  this  campaign  were  scarcely  less  terrific  than  those 
of  the  Egyptian  marches  npon  burning  sands — be- 
tween whose  extremes,  were  gathered  all  the  forms  of 
human  suffering  and  degradation. 

After  a  few  skirmishes  with  the  Eussians,  Murat 
occupied  "Warsaw,  the  28th  of  November  ;  and  Napoleon 
at  Posen,  meanwhile,  was  surrounded  b}^  the  excited, 
hopeful  Poles.  Said  the  palatine  of  Gnesna  :  "  AYe 
adore  you,  and  with  confidence  repose,  as  upon  Him 
who  raises  empires  and  destroys  them,  and  humbles  the 
proud — the  regenerator  of  our  country,  the  legislator 
of  the  universe  !  "  Similar  extravagant  expressions  of 
admiration  and  joyful  anticipation  repeatedly  greeted 
his  ear.  He  assured  the  deputations  that  waited  upon 
him,  of  his  sympathy,  and  recruiting  his  forces  from 
the  ranks  of  the  noble  patriots,  gave  no  further  thought 
to  the  diflBcult  enterprise  of  their  liberation  from  galling 
oppression. 

Then  followed  severe  encounters,  which  stained  for 
many  a  league,  the  snow  with  crimson,  and  scattered 
the  frozen,  ghastly  bodies  of  men  along  the  path  of 
those  magnificent  armies.     The  opposing  columns  soon 


222  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

met  on  the  field  of  Eylau.  Here  the  whole  Russian 
force,  driven  more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  the 
Vistula  by  the  French,  made  a  final,  desperate  stand. 
This  was  on  February  7th,  1807  ;  and  as  the  night  came 
down,  Napoleon  saw  in  the  calm,  cold  moonlight,  and 
waving  lights  of  the  watchfires,  the  enemy's  line, 
extending  two  miles  along  a  gentle  swell  of  glittering 
ice  and  drifted  snow  ;  while  over  all,  the  howling  winds 
wailed,  in  anticipation  of  the  morrow,  a  funeral  dirge. 
Two  hundred  cannon  were  placed  with  silent  threaten- 
ing, at  that  midnight  hour,  to  sweep  the  ranks  of 
the  foe.  While  the  next  dawn  was  kindling  upon  the 
storm-clouds,  the  roar  of  the  artillery  announced  the 
opening  strife. 

•^'The  French  charged  at  two  different  points  in 
strong  columns,  and  were  unable  to  shake  the  iron 
steadiness  of  the  infantry,  while  the  Russian  horse,  and 
especially  the  Cossacks,  under  their  gallant  Hetman 
Platoff,  made  fearful  execution  on  each  division,  as 
successively  they  drew  back  from  their  vain  attempt. 
A  fierce  storm  arose  at  midday  ;  the  snow  drifted  right 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Russians  ;  the  village  of  Serpallen, 
on  their  left,  caught  fire,  and  the  smoke  also  rolled 
dense  upon  them.  Davoust  skilfully  availed  himself 
of  the  opportunity,  and  turned  their  flank  so  rapidly 
that  Serpallen  was  lost,  and  the  left  wing  compelled  to 
wheel  backward,  so  as  to  form  almost  at  right  angles 
with  the  rest  of  the  line.  The  Prussian  corps  of 
L'Estocq,  a  small  but  determined  fragment  of  the 
campaign  of  Jena,  appeared  at  this  critical  moment  in 
the  rear  of  the  Russian  left  ;  and,  charging  with  such 
gallantry  as  had  in  former  times  been  expected  from 
the  soldiery  of  the  great  Frederic,  drove  back  Davoust, 
and  restored  the  Russian  line.  The  action  continued 
for    many   hours    along   the  whole   line — the   French 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  223 

attacking  boldly,  the  Eussians  driving  them  back  with 
unfailing  resolution.  Ney,  with  a  Frencli  division,  at 
length  came  up  and  succeeded  in  occupying  the  village 
of  Schloditten,  on  the  road  to  Konigsberg.  To  regain 
this,  and  thereby  recover  the  means  of  communicating 
with  the  King  of  Prussia,  was  deemed  necessary  ;  and 
it  was  carried  accordingly  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
This  was  at  ten  o'clock  at  night.  So  ended  the  longest 
and  by  far  the  severest  battle  in  which  Bonaparte  had 
as  yet  been  engaged.  After  fourteen  hours'  fighting 
either  army  occupied  the  same  position  as  in  the 
morning. 

"  Either  leader  claimed  the  victory." 

Deeds  of  unequaled  valor  were  done,  and  fifty  thousand 
victims  left  on  the  frozen  earth.  Of  the  slain,  more 
than  ten  thousand  were  Frenchmen.  In  one  onset,  a 
grenadier,  whose  arm  had  been  torn  away  by  a  shell, 
rushed  into  the  assaulting  ranks,  refusing  to  have  his 
wound  dressed,  till  the  position  was  taken.  The  sight 
greatly  moved  Napoleon.  It  was  devotion  too  deep 
for  so  dark  a  shrine  beneath  the  glory  of  conquest. 

It  was  the  first  great  battle  in  the  career  of  Xapoleon, 
which  did  not  result  in  decided  victory.  The  Eussians 
had  twelve  of  the  eagles  of  France,  taken  by  Bensingen, 
while  the  emperor  had  possession  of  the  field  at  a 
sacrifice  which  could  not  well  bear  repetition.  "We 
need  not  pause  to  dwell  on  the  scenes  of  blood  disjilayed 
on  the  plain  of  Eylau,  when  the  battle  was  over — the 
piteous  appeals  to  Naj^oleon  in  behalf  of  wife,  mother, 
and  children — the  pools  of  the  red  life-current — the 
heaps  of  mangled  bodies  of  men  and  horses — beneath 
which  lay  the  dying.  Nor  can  fancy  catch  the  sobs  of 
grief  and  the  low  moans  of  unrecorded  heart-breaking, 
in  the  hamlets  and  among  the  mountain  homes  of  a 
continent.     The  Eussians  retired  to  Konigsberg  ;  and 


224  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

on   February    19th,    Napoleon   retreated    to   the   Vis- 
tula. 

Before  his  departure,  he  wrote  to  Josephine,  and  used 
the  following  kind  and  descriptive  words  : 

**  My  love  !  I  am  still  at  Eylau.  The  country  is 
covered  with  the  dead  and  the  wounded.  This  is  not 
agreeable.  One  suffers,  and  the  soul  is  oppressed  to  see 
so  many  victims.  I  am  well,  I  have  done  what  I 
wished.  I  have  repulsed  the  enemy,  compelling  him 
to  abandon  his  projects.  You  must  be  very  anxious, 
and  that  thought  afflicts  me.  Nevertheless,  tranquilize 
yourself,  my  love,  and  be  cheerful.     Wholly  thine. 

"  Napoleon." 

Offers  of  peace  were  again  made  by  the  emperor  and 
rejected.  And  with  an  eloquent  address  to  the  deci- 
mated army,  he  entered  his  winter  quarters  to  prepare 
for  the  renewed  meeting  with  his  unyielding,  and  now 
equal  enemy.  The  spring  came,  and  with  it  supplies 
from  France  and  Switzerland,  furnishing  and  recruiting 
his  army,  till  he  was  ready  with  nearly  three  hundred 
thousand  men  to  enter  the  contest  afresh.  He  was  at 
Osterode,  in  Poland,  where  he  divided  his  time  between 
his  military  plans  and  the  immense  burdens  of  state — 
the  educational,  civil,  and  financial  interests  of  his 
empire.  He  projected  the  grand  and  beautiful  Madeleine 
— a  temple  of  literature,  and  a  monument  of  fame  to 
the  bravery  of  the  grand  army. 

During  this  vernal  season  of  preparation  for  war, 
the  young  prince,  and  intended  heir  to  the  throne  of 
France,  the  son  of  Hortense  and  Louis,  then  five  years 
of  age,  died  of  the  croup.  The  sad  tidings  reached 
Napoleon,  and  bowed  his  head  in  sorrow.  But  Josephine 
felt  the  blow  with  unutterable  anguish.  She  knew  that 
beyond  the  loss  of  a  lovely  and  promising  boy,  was  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  225 

necessity  of  a  successor  to  the  crown  of  France,  and  her 
marriage  tie  would  not  thwart  the  ambitious  desire  of 
him  in  whom  was  enshrined  her  earthly  bliss — her  very 
life.  He  wrote  letters  of  condolence  and  affection  to 
Josephine  and  Horteuse,  but  these  did  not  change  the 
fact,  which  threw  a  dismal  shadow  over  the  desolate 
home. 

Dantzic,  a  strongly  fortified  town,  surrendered  to 
Napoleon,  May  26th,  after  a  terrific  siege  of  fifty-one 
days,  furnishing  a  rich  supply  of  stores  for  his  troops. 
The  Russians  struck  the  first  blow  of  general  conflict 
early  in  June,  by  an  assault  on  Ney's  division,  which 
was  at  Gustadt.  It  fell  back  to  Deppen,  where  the 
emperor  joined  the  division,  and  compelled  the  pur- 
suers to  retreat.  They  were  followed,  and  bloody  bat- 
tles were  fought. 

Bensingen  finally  took  his  position  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  river  Aller,  bringing  that  stream  between  him 
and  the  French  forces.  The  town  of  Friedland,  from 
which  a  narrow  bridge  crossed  the  river,  was  opposite. 
On  the  morning  of  June  14th,  the  Russians  commenced 
the  attack  on  the  enemy,  hoping  to  secure  defeat 
before  Napoleon  with  the  other  divisions  of  the  grand 
army  could  arrive.  Crossing  the  Aller  incautiously,  he 
was  inclosed  in  a  deep  bend  of  the  river,  fighting  furi- 
ously, when,  guided  by  the  thunder  of  the  cannonade, 
the  emperor  came  ;  he  saw  the  situation  of  the  Rus- 
sians, and  ordered  a  general  assault,  exclaiming,  **  This 
is  the  14th  of  June.  It  is  the  anniversary  of  Marengo. 
It  is  a  lucky  day  for  us." 

Ney  rushed  upon  the  dense  mass  of  Russians  in  and 
before  the  town,  and  the  fearful  struggle  became  one 
wild  commotion  of  desperate  men,  plunging  steeds,  toss- 
ing plumes,  and  waving  banners.  Friedland  was  in 
flames,  and  lit  up  the  scene,  as  darkness  shrouded  the 
IS 


226  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ensanguined  plain.  The  allies  were  conqnered  ;  and 
retreating,  dashed  into  the  waters  which  swept  them 
down,  benetli  a  ahower  of  bullets  from  the  columns  of 
the  victors. 

Bensingen  retreated  toward  the  Niemen. 

"  The  Emperor  Alexander,  overawed  by  the  genius 
of  Napoleon,  which  had  triumphed  over  troops  more 
resolute  than  had  ever  before  opposed  him,  and  alarm- 
ed for  the  consequences  of  some  decisive  measure  to- 
ward the  reorganization  of  the  Poles  as  a  nation,  began 
to  think  seriously  of  peace.  Bensingen  sent,  on  the 
21st  of  June,  to  demand  an  armistice ;  and  to  this 
proposal  the  victor  of  Friedland  yielded  immediate 
assent. 

"  The  armistice  was  ratified  on  the  23d  of  June,  and  on 
the  25th  the  Emperors  of  France  and  Eussia  met  per- 
sonally, each  accompanied  by  a  few  attendants,  on  a  raft 
moored  on  the  river  Niemen,  near  the  town  of  Tilsit. 
The  sovereigns  embraced  each  other,  and  retiring  under 
a  canopy  had  a  long  conversation,  to  which  no  one  was  a 
witness.  At  its  termination  the  ajjpearanccs  of  mutual 
good-will  and  confidence  were  marked  :  immediately 
afterward  the  town  of  Tilsit  was  neutralized,  and  the 
two  emperors  established  their  courts  there,  and  lived 
together  in  the  midst  of  the  lately  hostile  armies,  more 
like  old  friends  who  had  met  on  a  party  of  pleasure, 
than  enemies  and  rivals  attempting  by  diplomatic 
means  the  arrangement  of  difficulties  which  had  for 
years  been  deluging  Europe  with  blood." 

Napoleon  wrote  to  the  King  of  Naples  upon  the 
close  of  the  f^tes,  rides,  and  royal  display  on  the  banks 
of  the  Niemen  : 

KAPOLEON   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Tilsit,  July  9,  1807. 

"  My   BROTnER — Peace  was   signed  yesterday  and 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  227 

ratified  to-day.  The  Emperor  Alexander  and  I  parted 
to-day  at  twelve  o'clock,  after  having  passed  three  week* 
together.  We  lived  as  intimate  friends.  At  our  last 
interview  he  appeared  in  the  order  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor,  and  I  iu  that  of  St.  Andrew.  I  have  given  the 
Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  to  the  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  to  the  Princes  Kourakin  and  Labanoff, 
and  to  Count  Budberg.  The  Emperor  of  Eussia  has 
conferred  his  order  upon  the  King  of  Westphalia,  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Berg,  and  on  the  Princes  Neufchatel 
and  Benevento.  Corfu  is  to  be  given  up  to  me.  The 
order  of  the  chief  of  the  staff  to  have  Corfu  occupied 
by  the  troops  whom  I  mentioned  to  you  has  been  given 
to  an  officer  who  is  on  his  way  to  you.  Do  not  lose 
time  iu  victualing  that  island,  and  sending  thither  all 
that  is  necessary." 

The  King  of  Prussia,  who  had  been  invited  by  Alex- 
ander to  join  him  in  the  negotiations  at  Tilsit,  was 
treated  like  a  subdued  and  unregarded  foe.  He  was 
an  ordinary  man,  and  had  been  the  immediate  cause 
of  the  late  hostilities.  Napoleon,  therefore,  despised 
him  ;  and  assured  the  Emj^eror  of  Eussia,  that  on  his 
account  only  did  he  consent  to  admit  Frederic  into  the 
royal  fraternity.  The  beautiful  queen  was  no  more 
honored,  with  all  her  arts  of  fascination  ;  she  went  to 
her  palace  broken-hearted,  and  soon  after  died.  The 
Prussian  king  had  by  the  treaty  half  of  his  kingdom 
restored. 

The  Polish  provinces  of  Prussia  were  erected  into  a 
separate  principality,  styled  ''the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Warsaw,"  and  bestowed  on  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  with 
the  exception,  however,  of  some  territories  assigned  to 
Eussia,  and  of  Dantzic,  which  was  declared  a  free  city, 
to  be  garrisoned  by  French  troops  until  the  ratificatiott 


228  LITE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

of  a  maritime  peace.  The  Prussian  dominions  in 
Lower  Saxony  and  on  the  Rhine,  witli  Hanover,  Hesse- 
Cassel,  and  various  other  small  states,  formed  a  new 
kingdom  of  Westphalia,  of  which  Jerome  Bonaparte, 
Xapoleon's  youngest  brother,  was  recognized  as  king. 
Finally,  Eussia  accepted  the  mediation  of  France  for 
a  peace  with  Turkey,  and  France  that  of  Russia  for  a 
peace  with  England. 

Russia  thus  became  the  ally  of  France,  even  beyond 
the  letter  of  the  treaty  of  Tilsit,  and  was  willing  to 
turn  her  strength  against  England,  unmoved  in  a  for- 
midable and  sublimely  resolute,  although  often  unjust, 
preeminence  and  hate. 

Napoleon  and  Alexander  were  united  in  extending 
their  scepters  over  coveted  territories,  aiid  opposition 
to  British  aggressions.  Into  this  coalition,  soon  after, 
Austria,  Prussia,  and  Denmark  entered — reversing  the 
order  of  conflict,  and  changing  the  position  of  the 
French  emperor,  from  solitary  resistance  to  the  rest 
of  Europe,  to  that  of  a  sovereign  of  monarchs,  in  the 
struggle  with  a  foe,  secure  and  defiant  in  his  sea-girdled 
lair. 

The  reliable  pen  of  Napier  has  recorded  the  subjoined 
verdict  npon  tlie  desolating  campaigns  of  the  embattled 
nations  :  "  Up  to  the  peace  of  Tilsit,  the  wars  of  France 
were  essentially  defensive ;  tor  the  bloody  contest  that 
wasted  the  continent  so  many  years,  was  not  a  struggle 
for  preeminence  between  ambitious  powers — not  a  dis- 
pute for  some  acquisition  of  territor}' — not  for  the  polit- 
ical ascendancy  of  one  or  another  nation — but  a  deadly 
conflict  to  determine  whether  aristocracy  or  democracy 
should  predominate — whether  aristocracy  or  privilege 
should  henceforth  be  the  principle  of  European  govern- 
ments." 

Leaving  his  strong  garrisons  in  Poland  and  North- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  229 

ern  Germany,  Xapoleon  returned  to  Paris,  July  27th, 
and  was  received  with  boundless  adulation.  Ho  again 
grasped  with  his  versatile  and  rapid  thought,  the  affairs 
of  his  vast  empire,  and  projected  with  the  precision 
and  scientific  skill  of  a  royal  engineer,  canals,  aque- 
ducts, and  bridges.  The  officers  of  state,  from  the 
prince  to  the  policeman,  felt  the  ubiquitous  power  of 
the  emj^eror — "  the  greatest  writer  of  his  time,  while 
he  was  its  greatest  captain,  its  greatest  legislator,  its 
greatest  administrator." 

Never  before,  did  a  ruler  so  impress  himself  upon 
every  part  of  public  progress,  and  associate  his  name  so 
justly  with  all  the  history  of  a  realm,  whether  in  acts 
of'benigir~siTpreTiTacy,  or  in  the  exercise  of  despotic 
authority. 

"  The  Code  Napoleon,  that  elaborate  system  of  juris- 
prudence, in  the  formation  of  which  the  emperor 
labored  personally  along  with  the  most  eminent  lawyers 
and  enlightened  men  of  the  time,  was  a  boon  of  ines- 
timable value  to  France.  *  I  shall  go  down  to  posterity/ 
said  he,  with  just  pride,  'with  the  code  in  my  hand.' 
It  was  the  first  uniform  system  of  laws  which  the 
French  monarchy  had  ever  possessed ;  and  being 
drawn  up  with  consummate  skill  and  wisdom,  it  at  this 
day  forms  the  code  not  only  of  Fiance,  but  of  a  great 
portion  of  Europe  besides.  Justice,  as  between  man 
and  man,  was  administered  on  sound  and  fixed  princi- 
ples, and  by  unimpeached  tribunals. 

"He  gratified  the  French  nation  by  adorning  the 
capital,  and  by  displaying  in  the  Tuilleries  a  court  as 
elaborately  magnificent  as  that  of  Louis  XIV.  himself. 
The  old  nobility,  returning  from  their  exile,  mingled 
in  those  proud  halls  with  the  heroes  of  the  revolution- 
ary campaigns  ;  and  over  all  the  ceremonials  of  these 
stately  festivities,    Josephine    presided  with  the  grace 


230     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  elegance  of  one  born  to  be  a  queen.  In  the  midst 
of  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  a  court,  in  whose  ante- 
chambers kings  jostled  each  other.  Napoleon  himself 
preserved  the  plain  and  unadorned  simplicity  of  his  orig- 
inal dress  and  manners.  The  great  emperor  continued 
throughout  to  labor  more  diligently  than  any  subaltern 
in  office.  His  days  were  given  to  labor  and  his  nights 
to  study.  If  he  was  not  with  his  army  in  the  field,  he 
traversed  the  provinces,  examining  with  his  own  eyes 
into  the  minutest  details  of  local  arrangement ;  and 
even  from  the  center  of  his  camp  he  was  continually 
issuing  edicts  which  showed  the  accuracy  of  his  obser- 
vation during  these  journeys,  and  his  anxiety  to  pro- 
mote by  any  means,  consistent  with  his  great  purpose, 
the  welfare  of  some  French  district,  town,  or  even 
village." 

August  15th,  1807,  the  birthday  of  Napoleon,  was  a 
holiday  of  enthusiastic  joy  in  the  capital,  and  a  scene 
of  festivity  in  the  palace  of  the  Tuilleries.  But  already 
tokens  of  warfare  nearer  the  throne  than  English  anger, 
were  apparent.  Portugal  and  Spain  were  unquiet. 
The  former  opened  its  harbors  to  English  vessels,  while 
the  government  of  a  degraded  people  was  vacillating 
between  alliance  with  France,  and  open  sympathy  with 
Britain. 

Spain  was  ruled  by  the  voluptuous  Charles  IV.,  a 
prince  of  the  Bourbon  blood  ;  and  was  also  secretly 
leaning  to  the  cause  of  England. 

The  private  yet  royal  messages  to  Joseph  at  this  cri- 
sis, contain  interesting  allusions  to  the  Mediterranean 
islands  which  Alexander  gave  the  emperor,  and  intimate 
distinctly  his  designs  upon  Spain. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BOX  A  PARTE.  231 

IfAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  St.  Cloud,  September  6, 1807. 

**  My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
28th  of  August,  in  which  you  tell  me  that  General  C. 
Berthier  has  started,  but  you  do  not  acquaint  me  witli 
his  arrival.  If  the  Eussians  land  on  your  coast  treat 
them  well,  and  send  them  to  Bologna,  where  the  Vice- 
roy will  give  them  a  further  destination.  I  approve 
highly  of  Salicetti's  proposal  that  you  should  send  five 
thousand  quintals  of  wheat  to  Corfu. 

"1  have  already  informed  you  that,  although  the 
isles  of  Corfu  do  not  form  part  of  your  kingdom,  they 
are  nevertheless  under  your  civil  and  military  govern- 
ment as  commander-in-chief  of  my  army  of  Naples. 
In  general,  I  wish  you  to  interfere  as  little  as  possible 
with  the  constitution  of  the  country,  and  to  treat  the 
inhabitants  well.  The  Emperor  Alexander,  who  gave 
them  their  constitution,  thinks  it  very  good.  Make 
General  Caesar  Berthier  aware  that  I  wish  the  inhabit- 
ants of  these  islands  to  have  cause  only  to  rejoice  at 
having  passed  under  my  dominion  ;  that  when  I  selected 
him  I  relied  on  his  honesty  and  on  his  endeavors  to 
make  his  government  popular.  The  idea  of  establish- 
ing packets  is  very  sensible.  My  troops  have  taken 
possession  of  Cattaro  ;  the  English  are  besieging  Copen- 
hagen, which  still  holds  out."* 

NAPOLEOK  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  FoNTAiNEBLEAU,  October  31, 1807. 

"  My  Brother — I  do  not  know  whether  you  have 
established   the    Code  Napoleon  in  your  kingdom.     I 

*  England  had  most  unjustly  sent  an  expedition  against  Denmark,  a 
neutral  power,  in  anticipation  of  affinities  vith  France,  and  soon  made  tha 
capital  a  scene  of  horrible  slaughter  and  of  ruin. 


2;]2  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

•wisli  it  to  become  the  civil  law  of  yoar  states,  dating 
from  the  first  of  January  next.*  Germany  has  adopted 
it ;  and  Spain  will  do  so  soon.  This  will  be  very 
useful. 

'*  You  ought  to  arrest  M.  B ,  a  French  emigrant 

pensioned  by  England  ;  let  him  be  shut  up  in  a  fortress 
till  we  have  peace.  Treat  in  the  same  way  Lombardi, 
Perano,  Cara,  Martini,  the  two  brothers  Cerutti, 
Laurant  Purazzo,  the  Abbe  del  Arco  and  the  Chevalier 
de  Costes.  Prepare  a  prison  in  some  fortress,  and  let 
all  these  people  be  confined  in  it.  I  have  given  orders 
to  arrest  all  Corsicans  pensioned  by  England.  I  have 
already  sent  many  to  Fenestrelle — among  others,  one 
Bertolazzio.  I  advise  yon  to  take  the  same  measure  in 
your  kingdom.  Order  the  detachment  of  the  81st, 
which  is  at  Corfu,  to  join  its  depot  in  Italy.  It  has 
nine  ofi&cers  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-ihree  men.** 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  FoNTAiNEBLKAU,  November  2, 1807. 

**  My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the 
23d.  I  have  not  yet  quite  made  up  my  mind  not  to  go 
to  Italy  ;  I  should  not  like  to  cross  you  on  the  road  :  as 
soon  as  I  have  decided  I  will  write  to  you. 

*<  Pray  make  the  expedition  to  Reggio  and  Scylla, 
and  deliver  the  continent  from  the  presence  of  the 
English.  You  have  ten  times  as  many  troops  as  are 
wanted  for  that  purpose,  and  the  season  is  favorable. 
I  see  with  pleasure  that  you  have  ordered  the  Eussian 
garrison  of  Corfu,  which  has  landed  at  Manfredonia,  to 
be  well  received." 

*  This  allows  only  two  months  for  a  chanpre  of  the  whole  civil  law  of  the 
country.  The  prophecy  that  Spain  would  soon  adopt  the  Code- Napoleon 
Bhowa  that  Napoleon  already  contemplated  the  seizure  of  Spain.— Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.      23:1 

Two  weeks  after  the  last  date,  Xapoleon  suddenly 
signified  to  Josephine  his  intention  of  proceeding  to 
Italy,  and  bade  her  to  be  ready  to  accompany  him  in  a 
few  hours.  His  ostensible  reason  was  to  secure  the 
grand  duchy  of  Tuscany  for  his  sister  Eliza,  and  to 
confirm  by  his  presence  the  treaty  of  Presbu rg,  which 
had  annexed  Venice  and  other  Italian  provinces  to  tho 
kingdom  of  Italy.  But  his  main  object  was  doubtless 
different  from  either  of  these.  The  conclusion  is 
irresistible  that  his  determination  to  divorce  Josephine 
was  fixed  soon  after  the  death  of  the  prince  royal  of 
Holland,  and  that  his  present  journey  to  Italy  was 
mainly  for  the  purpose  of  sounding  Eugene  upon  this 
point. 

The  viceroy  with  his  attendants  came  out  to  meet 
him  as  he  approached  Milan  ;  "  Dismount,  dismount," 
cried  Xapoleon  to  Eugene  ;  **  come  seat  yourself  with 
me,  and  let  us  enter  your  capital  together."  The 
viceroy  did  as  desired,  and  the  imperial  carriage  bearing 
Napoleon,  Josephine,  and  Eugene,  entered  the  gates  of 
the  city.  The  emperor  signified  to  Eugene  his  approba- 
tion of  all  that  he  had  done,  and  loaded  him  with 
favors. 

Jerome,  who  had  married  Miss  Patterson  of  Baltimore 
during  a  cruise  to  this  country,  was  compelled  to  send 
her  home  again  upon  his  return  to  France,  because  she 
had  no  place  in  the  new  dynasty,  and  Napoleon  refused 
to  recognize  her  alliance  with  his  family.  And  incidents 
of  this  tour  increased  the  alienation  between  the 
emperor  and  Lucien,  who  met  at  Mantua.  Xapoleon 
thought  of  Charlotte,  Lucien's  daughter,  a  brilliant 
woman,  for  Queen  of  Spain.  His  letter  to  Joseph,  and 
M.  Thiers  in  his  history,  give  some  account  of  the 
mysterious  interview. 


234  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

N'APOLEON"   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Milan,  December  17, 1807. 

**  Mt  Brother — I  saw  Lucien  at  Mautiia,  and  had 
with  him  a  conversation  of  several  hours.  He  has  no 
doubt  acquainted  you  with  the  sentiments  with  which 
he  left  me.  His  notions  and  his  expressions  are  so 
different  from  mine  tliat  I  can  hardly  make  out  what 
it  is  that  he  wants  ;  I  think  that  he  told  me  that  he 
wished  to  send  his  eldest  daughter  to  Paris  to  live  with 
her  grandmother.  If  he  still  is  thus  disposed,  I  desire 
to  be  immediately  informed  of  it ;  the  girl  must  reach 
Paris  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  January,  either  ac- 
companied by  Lucien  or  under  the  charge  of  a  governess 
who  will  take  her  to  Madame.  It  appeared  to  me  that 
there  was  in  Lucien's  mind  a  contest  between  opposite 
feelings,  and  that  he  had  not  sufficient  strength  to 
decide  in  favor  of  any  one  of  them.  I  exhausted  all 
the  means  iu  my  power  to  induce  him,  young  as  he  is, 
to  devote  his  talents  to  my  service  and  to  that  of  his 
country.  If  he  wishes  to  let  me  have  his  daughter,  she 
must  set  off  without  delay,  and  he  must  send  me  a 
declaration  putting  her  entirely  at  my  disposal ;  for 
there  is  not  a  moment  to  lose  ;  events  are  hastening 
on,  and  my  destiny  must  be  accomplished.  If  he  has 
changed  his  mind,  let  me  know  it  immediately,  for  I 
shall  then  make  other  arrangements. 

"  Tell  Lucien  that  I  was  touched  by  his  grief  and  by 
the  feelings  which  he  expressed  toward  me  ;  and  that 
I  regret  the  more  that  he  will  not  be  reasonable  and 
contribute  to  his  own  comfort  and  to  mine. 

"  I  think  that  this  letter  will  reach  you  on  the  22d. 
My  last  news  from  Lisbon  are  dated  the  28th  of  Novem- 
ber ;  the  prince-regent  had  embarked  for  the  Brazils  ;  he 
was  still  in  the  roadstead  of  Lisbon  ;  my  troops  were  only 
at  a  few  leagues'  distance  from  the  forts  which  form  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  235 

entrance  of  the  roadstead.  I  have  heard  from  Spuiu 
no  more  than  is  contained  in  the  letter  wliicli  yon  have 
read.  I  am  waiting  with  impatience  for  a  clear  and 
decisive  answer,  particularly  with  regard  to  Charlotte. 
*'  P.  S.  My  troops  entered  Lisbon  on  the  30th  of  No- 
vember ;  the  prince  royal  escaped  in  a  man-of-war;  I 
have  taken  five  ships  of  the  line  and  six  frigates.  On 
the  2d  of  December  all  was  going  on  well  at  Lisbon. 
England  declared  war  against  Russia  on  the  6th  of 
December.  Pass  this  news  on  to  Corfu.  The  Queen 
of  Tuscany  is  here  :  she  wishes  to  go  to  Madrid.'^ 

The  reader  may  be  interested  by  Thiers's  relation 
of  the  interview  between  !N'apoleon  and  Lucien  : 

"  M.  de  Meneval  went  during  the  night  to  bring 
Lucien  from  his  inn  to  Napoleon's  palace.  Instead  of 
throwing  himself  into  his  brother's  arms,  Lucien  ad- 
dressed him  with  a  haughtiness  excusable  in  a  man 
without  material  power,  but  perhaps  carried  further 
than  mere  self-respect  requii'ed.  The  interview  was 
painful  and  stormy,  but  not  useless.  Among  the  pos- 
sible arrangements  in  Spain  one  w^as  that  of  the  mar- 
riage of  a  French  princess  to  Ferdinand.  Napoleon 
had  just  received  a  letter  from  Charles  IV.,  repeating 
his  request  for  such  a  marriage,  and,  though  he  leaned 
toward  a  more  radical  solution,  he  did  not  exclude 
this  middle  course  from  his  projects.  He  wished 
Lucien  then  to  give  him  his  daughter  by  his  first  wife 
to  be  brought  up  by  the  empress-mother,  to  imbibe 
the  feelings  of  the  family,  and  to  be  sent  to  Spain  to 
regenerate  the  Bourbons.  If  it  should  not  suit  him  to 
give  her  this  part  to  play,  there  were  other  thrones, 
more  or  less  lofty,  to  w^hich  he  could  raise  her.  As 
for  Lucien,  he  wished  to  make  him  a  French  prince, 
and  even  King  of  Portugal,  which  would  put  him  iu 


236  I^IFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  neighborhood  of  his  daughter,  on  condition  of  his 
dissolving  his  second  marriage,  the  divorced  wife  be- 
ing indemnified  by  a  title  and  a  great  fortune. 

"These  arrangements  were  practicable,  but  they 
were  demanded  with  authority  and  refused  with  anger  ; 
and  the  brothers  separated,  both  excited  and  irritated, 
but  without  a  quarrel,  since  a  part  of  what  Napoleon 
asked — the  sending  Lucien's  daughter  to  Paris — took 
place  a  few  days  after." 

Then  followed  the  Milan  Decrees,  to  avenge  with 
greater  severity  than  by  the  Berlin  edicts  the  in- 
creased embarrassment  of  French  commerce  under 
new  orders  of  the  English  government.  Napoleon  pro- 
claimed all  vessels  a  lawful  prize  which  should  sub- 
mit to  the  British  policy  toward  France.  The  United 
States  were  independent  of  dictation  from  England, 
and  their  government  was  assured  by  the  emperor  of 
exemption  from  his  rigorous  measures.  He  commu- 
nicated the  stringent  law  to  the  government  of  Naples. 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Turin,  December  28,  1807. 

'*  My  Beother, — I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  decree  which 
I  have  just  issued  in  consequence  of  the  changes  in 
the  commerce  by  sea.  I  wish  it  to  be  executed  in 
your  dominions.*  Equip  as  many  privateers  as  you 
can  to  pursue  the  ships  which  communicate  with  Sicily, 
Malta,  or  Gibraltar,  and  which  go  to  and  from  Eng- 
land. I  have  ordered  an  embargo  ui)on  all  Sardinian 
ships  aiul  shijis  coming  from  Sardinia.     It  is  by  means 

*  The  Milan  Decree,  which  declared  subject  to  capture  every  ship 
which  had  touched  at  any  port  in  the  Rritish  islands  or  in  the  British 
colonies.  It  was  provoked  by  Orders-in-Council,  which  declared  subject 
to  capture  every  ship  which  had  not  touched  at  a  port  in  the  British 
islands  or  in  the  British  colonies.  Between  the  two  all  commerce  by 
sea  by  any  nation  whatever  was  prohibited. — Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BON.VPARTE.  237 

of  Sardinia  that  the  English  correspond  at  present.  I 
have  ordered  all  vessels  coming  from  thence  to  be 
stopped.  It  is  advisable  not  to  make  this  measure 
public.  I  start  in  an  hour,  and  -I  shall  reach  Paris  on 
the  night  of  the  1st.  AVhereupon  I  pray  God  that  he 
may  keep  you  in  his  holy  and  honorable  care.'* 

Napoleon,  after  a  hasty  tour  through  the  other  Italian 
provinces,  returned  with  Jose2:)hine  to  Paris. 

Meanwhile  an  army  under  Junot  had  advanced 
upon  Lisbon,  Avhose  fugitive  court  sailed  for  the  coasts 
of  Brazil,  to  find  security  in  their  magnificent  domin- 
ions there.  Portugal,  therefore,  passed  immediately 
from  English  into  French  possession.  The  people,  in- 
dignant at  the  cowardly  flight  of  their  rulers,  acquiesced 
for  the  time  in  Napoleon's  sovereignty. 

But  Spain,  the  greater  prize,  was  not  his  own.  He 
had  said  before  the  battle  of  Jena,  referring  to  the  un- 
reliable course  of  that  kingdom,  "  The  Bourbons  of 
Spain  shall  be  replaced  by  princes  of  my  own  family." 
Manuel  Godoy,  one  of  the  king's  body  guard,  had  by 
his  fine  person  and  attainments  won  the  affections  and 
control  of  the  licentious  queen.  Of  the  three  sons  of 
Charles  IV.,  Ferdinand,  Carlos,  and  Francisco,  Ferdi- 
nand was  the  heir-apparent  to  the  crown  ;  and  although 
a  profligate  youth  of  twenty-five,  more  popular  than 
his  equally  imbecile  father  or  Godoy,  with  the  major- 
ity of  the  people.  It  was  with  him  Napoleon  contem- 
plated the  marriage  of  Charlotte,  the  daughter  of 
Lncien.  Godoy  was  the  object  of  universal  scorn. 
His  house,  March  18th,  was  pillaged ;  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  he  was  rescued  from  violent  death  by  the 
guards.  Charles  IV.,  greatly  alarmed,  abdicated  the 
throne,  and  Ferdinand  was  proclaimed  king  amid  the 
wild  applause  of  the  people.     Murat,  Grand  Duke  of 


238  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Berg,  commanding  the  army  in  Spain,  marched  to 
Madrid,  and  took  possession  of  that  capital.  He  re- 
fused to  recognize  Ferdinand's  right  to  the  crown,  and 
waited  for  the  mandate  of  Napoleon.  The  trembling 
Charles  appealed  to  the  emperor.  Tlie  conqueror  of 
Spain  revealed  his  unfolding  plans  to  its  future  king  : 

KAPOLEON"  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  St.  Cloud,  March  31, 1808. 

'*  My  Brother — You  have  seen  the  news  from  Spain 
in  the  Moniteur.  I  will  tell  yon,  as  a  secret,  that  my 
troops  entered  Madrid  on  the  34th  ;  that  King  Charles 
protests  against  all  that  has  been  done ;  *  he  believes 
his  life  to  be  in  danger,  and  he  has  implored  my  protec- 
tion. Under  these  circumstances  I  shall  go.  I  have 
many  troops  in  Spain  ;  they  have  been  well  received 
there.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  have  not  recognized 
the  new  king,f  nor  has  he  been  acknowledged  by  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Berg.  J  They  have  made  each  other 
civil  speeches  without  meeting,  as  the  Grand  Duke 
could  not  treat  him  as  a  king  until  I  had  recognized 
him.  I  may  start  any  day  for  Madrid.  This  informa- 
tion is  for  your  use,  and  for  you  alone." 

April  2d,  Napoleon  set  out  for  Bayonne,  a  town  ou 
the  frontier,  and  at  the  base  of  the  Pyrenees,  to  meet 
the  new  monarch  of  Spain,  who  had  been  persuaded 
to  believe  that  a  personal  interview  with  Napoleon 
would  secure  to  him  his  scepter.  He  arrived  on  the 
20th,  and  was  soon  followed  by  the  anxious  old  king, 
the  queen,  and  Godoy.  Here  were  mutual  recrimina- 
tions, the  repetition  of  domestic  broils,  and  disclosures 
of  their  almost  idiotic  follies  in  government,  and  brutal 
vices  in  private  life.     If  crimes  so  manifold  could  jus- 

♦  His  abdication  and  Ferdinand's  succession. — ^Tr. 
■t  Ferduuuid  VU-  t  Murau— Te. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  239 

tify  the  policy  of  a  majestic,  ambitious  miud,  then  was 
tliere  an  excuse  for  the  grasp  of  power  with  which  the 
emperor  took  this  splendid  prize. 

The  result  of  the  conference  was,  the  resignation  by 
Cliarles  IV.  of  all  sovereignty,  for  a  magnificent  domain 
and  pension,  which  was  immediately  followed  with  a 
similar  submission,  as  the  only  alternative,  by  Ferdi- 
nand V  II. 

Manuel  Godoy,  who,  because  of  his  success  in  effect- 
ing the  treaty  of  Basle,  had  received  the  sounding  title 
of  Prince  of  Peace,  assented  to  the  disposal  of  the 
crown,  for  the  sake  of  safety  and  luxury  with  the 
guilty  queen,  whose  nnblushing  shame  sought,  rather 
than  avoided,  the  eye  of  the  world. 

Napoleon  issued  his  proclamation  to  the  Spaniards, 
promising  them  fresh  political  and  commercial  life, 
and  a  constitution  which  should  secure  their  national 
freedom  and  glory.  He  announced  to  the  King  of 
IvTaples  his  prospective  transfer  to  the  vacant  throne  : 

XAPOLEOK  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Bayonne,  May  11, 1808. 

*'  My  Brother — You  will  find  annexed  the  letter  of 
King  Charles  to  the  Prince  of  the  Asturias  and  a  copy 
of  my  treaty  with  the  king.  Tlie  Grand  Duke  of 
Berg  is  lieutenant-general  of  the  kingdom,  president  of 
the  junta,  and  generalissimo  of  the  Spanish  forces. 
King  Charles  starts  in  two  days  for  Compeigne.  The 
Prince  of  the  Asturias  is  going  toward  Paris.  The 
other  Infants  are  to  occupy  villas  in  the  environs  of 
Paris.  King  Charles,  by  his  treaty  with  me,  surren- 
ders to  me  all  his  rights  to  the  crown  of  Spain.  The 
prince  had  already  renounced  his  pretended  title  of 
king,  the  abdication  of  King  Charles  in  liis  favor  hav- 
ing been  involuntary.  The  nation,  through  the  Supreme 


2j,0  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Council  of  Castile,  asks  me  for  a  king  ;  I  destine  this 
crown  for  you.  Spain  is  a  very  different  tiling  from 
Naples  ;  it  contains  eleven  millions  of  inhabitants,  and 
lias  more  than  150,000,000  of  revenue,  without  count- 
ing the  Indies  and  tlie  immeiise  revenue  to  be  derived 
from  them.  It  is  besides  a  throne  which  places  you  at 
Madrid,  at  three  days'  journey  from  France,  which 
borders  the  whole  of  one  of  its  frontiers.  At  Madrid 
you  are  in  France  ;  Naples  is  the  end  of  the  world.  I 
wish  yon  therefore,  immediately  after  the  receipt  of 
tliis  letter,  to  apjjoint  whom  you  please  regent,  and  to 
come  to  Bayonne  by  way  of  Turin,  Mont  Cenis,  and 
Lyons.  You  will  receive  this  letter  on  the  19th,  you 
will  start  on  the  20th,  and  you  Avill  be  here  on  the  1st 
of  June.  Before  you  go,  leave  instructions  with 
Marshal  Jourdan  as  to  the  disposition  of  your  troops, 
and  make  arrangements  as  if  you  were  to  be  absent 
only  to  the  first  of  July.  Be  secret,  however  ;  your 
journey  will  probably  excite  only  too  much  suspicion, 
but  you  will  say  tliat  you  are  going  to  the  north  of 
Italy  to  confer  with  me  on  important  matters." 

Joseph  was  a  generous,  high-minded  man,  *'too 
kind,"  as  Napoleon  expressed  it,  to  be  a  king.  The  con- 
trast between  these  brothers,  in  the  milder  virtues  of 
humanity,  is  seen  in  their  fraternal  correspondence. 
The  King  of  Naples  reached  Bayonne  on  the  7th  of 
June,Avhere  he  was  Avaited  upon  by  the  Spanish  congress, 
and  welcomed  to  the  sovereignty  of  tlie  realm.  July  9th 
he  departed  with  an  imposing  train,  for  Madrid.  His 
accession  was  transmitted  to  the  powers  of  Europe,  and 
acknowledged  by  nearly  all  of  them;  but  by  nonemoi-e 
cordially  than  by  Alexander  of  Russia.  Napoleon  em- 
braced the  opportunity,  as  he  regarded  it,  of  ''regener- 
ating Spain,"  and  under  this  brilliant  form  of  ambition, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  241 

began  there  the  career  of  kingly  piracy  whicti  ulti- 
mately stranded  his  proud  and  resplendent  fortunes 
upon  the  rocks  of  St.  Helena.  It  is  true,  never  was  the 
pursuit  of  glory,  and  the  hallucination  that  the  world's 
redemption  was  in  the  hands  of  a  gifted  man,  more 
grand  in  development  and  design,  and  more  sadly  bap- 
tized in  blood,  than  was  Napoleon's. 

Joseph  recoiled  from  his  mission  in  Spain,  and  found 
it,  as  he  anticipated,  no  pastime  to  take  possession  of 
an  ancient  throne.  His  burdened,  unquiet  heart  was 
known  only  to  his  master,  to  whom  he  expressed  his 
fears,  but  received  little  sympath3% 

JOSEPH  TO  2s^AP0LE0J^. 

•*  July  18, 180S, 
**SiRE — It  appears  to  me  that  no  one  has  told  yonr 
majesty  the  whole  truth.  I  will  not  conceal  it.  Our 
undertaking  is  a  very  great  one  :  to  get  out  of  it  with 
honor  requires  vast  means.  I  do  not  see  double  from 
fear.  When  I  left  Naples,  I  saw  the  risks  before  me, 
and  I  now  say  to  myself  every  day,  "  My  life  is  noth- 
ing, I  give  it  to  you."  But  if  I  am  to  live  without  the 
shame  of  failure,  I  must  be  supplied  largely  with  men 
and  money.  Tlien  the  kindness  of  my  nature  may 
make  me  popular.  Now,  while  all  is  doubtful  kind- 
ness looks  like  timidity,  and  I  try  to  conceal  mine. 
To  get  qnickly  through  this  task,  so  hateful  to  a  sover- 
eign, to  prevent  further  insurrections,  to  have  less 
blood  to  shed  and  fewer  tears  to  dry,  enormous  forces 
must  be  employed.  Whatever  be  the  result  in  S2:)ain, 
its  king  must  lament,  for,  if  he  conquers,  it  will  be  by 
force  ;  but,  as  the  die  is  cast,  the  struggle  should  be  cut 
short.  My  position  does  not  frighten  me,  but  it  is  one 
in  which  a  king  never  was  before.  I  have  not  a  single 
partisan." 
16 


242  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

NAPOLEOISr  TO  JOSEPH. 

'*  Bayonxe,  July  19, 1808, 10.  p.  m, 

*'My  Brother — I  received  your  letter  of  tlie  18th  at 
three  o'clock  this  morning.  I  am  sorry  to  see  that 
your  courage  seems  to  fail  you  ;  it  is  the  only  mis- 
fortune which  I  feared.  Troops  are  pouring  in  con- 
tinually from  all  quarters.  You  have  a  great  many 
partisans  in  Spain  ;  you  have  all  the  honest  people,,  but 
they  fear  to  come  forward.  I  do  not,  however,  deny 
that  you  have  a  task,  but  it  is  a  great  and  a  glorious 
task.  Marshal  Bessieres'  victory,  entirely  defeating 
Cuesta  and  the  army  of  the  line  in  Gallicia,  has  greatly 
improved  the  whole  state  of  affairs  ;  it  is  worth  more 
than  a  reinforcement  of  thirty  thousand  men.  As 
General  Dupont  has  been  joined  by  the  divisions  of 
Gobert  and  Vedel,  the  attack  must  be  vigorously 
pressed  in  that  direction.  General  Dupont  has  good 
troops  ;  he  will  succeed.  I  Avould  rather  that  the  2d 
and  12th  light  infantry  had  reinforced  Marshal  Bes- 
sieres ;  but,  since  you  have  thought  proper  to  take 
them  to  Madrid,  keep  them  for  your  guard  ;  they  will 
soon  be  joined  by  two  thousand  conscripts  from  the 
battalions  on  drill ;  and  these  two  fine  regiments,  with 
those  of  your  guard,  will  form  you  a  splendid  reserve. 
You  ought  not  to  be  surprised  at  having  to  conquer 
your  kingdom.  Philip  V.  and  Henry  IV.  were  forced 
to  conquer  theirs.  Be  happy  ;  do  not  allow  yourself 
to  be  so  easily  affected,  and  do  not  doubt  for  an  in- 
stant that  everything  will  end  sooner  and  more  hap- 
pily than  you  think." 

JOSEPH  to  napoleon. 

"  Madrid,  July  22d,  180S. 

'*  Sire — If   your  majesty   would  write   to  General 
Caulaincourt  that  you  are  informed  that  in   cold  blood 


I 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  243 

he  arranged  the  pillage  of  the  churches  and  houses  in 
Cueuza,  it  might  do  much  good.  I  know  that  the 
public  sale  in  Madrid  of  the  church  plate  has  done  much 
harm.  Every  sensible  person  in  the  Government  and 
in  the  army  says  that  a  defeat  would  have  been  less 
injurious.** 

JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

"  Madrid,  July  23, 1808. 

*'  Sire — Marshal  Moncey  has  arrived.  He  found 
everything  hostile  on  his  march.  He  complains  bit- 
terly that  the  pillage  by  General  Caulaincourt  has  in- 
creased the  general  exasperation.  Since  Cuenza  was 
plundered  many  of  the  wealthier  families  fly  with  their 
property.'* 

JOSEPH  TO  NAPOLEON. 

"  Madrid,  July  24, 1808. 

"  Sire — The  honest  people  are  as  little  on  my  side 
as  the  rogues  are.  Xo,  Sire,  you  are  deceived.  Your 
glory  will  be  shipwrecked  in  Spain.  My  tomb  will  be 
a  monument  of  your  want  of  power  to  support  me,  for 
no  one  will  suspect  you  of  want  of  will.  This  will 
happen,  for  I  am  resolved  under  no  circumstances  to 
recross  the  Ebro. 

"  Yet  fifty  thousand  good  troops,  and  fifty  millions, 
sent  before  the  end  of  three  months,  might  set  things 
right.  The  recall  of  five  or  six  of  your  generals;  sending 
hither  Jourdan  and  Maurice  Mathieu,  who  are  honest 
men  ;  on  your  part,  absolute  confidence  in  me  ;  on  my 
part,  absolute  power  over  the  officers  who  misconduct 
themselves — the  union  of  all  this  alone  can  save  th» 
country  and  the  army.** 


244  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

NAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Bordeaux,  July  81,  1808. 

"  My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the 
24th,  25th  and  26th.  The  style  of  your  letter  of  the  24th 
does  not  please  me.  To  die  is  not  your  business,  but 
to  live  and  to  conquer,  which  you  are  doing,  and  shall 
do. 

"  I  shall  find  in  Spain  tlie  pillars  of  Hercules,  but  not 
the  limits  of  my  power. 

"  Troops  and  succors  of  every  description  are  on 
their  way  toward  you.  Your  forces  are  more  by  one 
third  than  are  necessary  if  they  are  well  managed. 

*'  Caulaincourt  did  what  was  perfectly  right  at 
Cuenza.  The  city  was  pillaged  :  this  is  one  of  the  rights 
of  war,  since  it  was  captured  while  the  defenders  were 
still  in  arms.  Eussia  has  recognized  you  ;  the  letter 
announcing  it  has  been  despatclied  to  Count  Strogo- 
noff.  On  reaching  Paris  I  shall  learn  that  Austria  has 
done  the  same.  Your  position  may  be  painful  as  king, 
but,  as  a  general,  it  is  brilliant.  There  is  only  one 
thing  to  fear  :  take  care  not  to  impair  the  spirit  of  the 
army — not  to  sacrifice  it  to  the  Spaniards.  No  measures 
are  to  be  kept  with  ruffians  who  assassinate  our  wounded, 
and  commit  every  kiiul  of  horror  ;  the  way  in  which 
they  are  treated  is  quite  right.  I  have  told  you  already, 
and  I  repeat  it,  since  the  glorious  victory  of  Medina 
de  Rio  Seco,  which  so  promptly  settled  tlie  question 
of  Spain,  Marshal  Bessiercs  is  absolute  master  of  the 
North.  Make  yourself  easy  as  to  the  result.  I  am  not 
surprised  at  what  has  happened  ;  if  I  had  not  expected  it, 
should  I  have  sent  one  liundred  and  fifty  thousand  men 
into  Spain,  and  raised  two  conscriptions,  and  spent 
eiglity  millions  ?  I  would  rather  have  lost  aj)attle  than 
have  had  to  read  Moncey's  report.     My  health  is  good. 


LIFE  OP  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  245 

I    reached    Bordeaux    this  morning.     1  am  going    to 
Eochefort." 

Napoleon  returned  to  Paris,  again  to  be  received  as  a 
god — the  idolized  and  dazzling  wonder  of  their  deepest 
homage.  His  morality  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt,  was 
unsullied  by  vice,  and  preeminent  among  monarchs. 
While  adding  vast  empires  to  his  own,  France  was 
covered  with  improvements  begun  or  completed,  which 
emanated  from  his  exhaustless  brain.  But  there  are 
sublime  and  beautiful  exhibitions  of  a  ruling  passion  in 
human  life,  which  do  not  change  the  selfish,  immoral 
character  of  the  motive,  tried  by  the  eternal  principles 
of  pure  and  righteous  action.  Najioleon  can  never, 
without  violence  to  the  conscience  of  mankind,  be  viewed 
in  the  light  of  self- forgetful  love  for  oppressed  humanity 
— a  man  whose  benign  patriotism  borrowed  strength 
and  excellence  from  a  serious  regard  to  the  benevolent 
sovereignty  of  the  ''King  of  kings."  But  he  was  a 
great  conqueror,  and  a  great  monarch. 

Austria  now  spread  again  upon  the  horizon  a  cloud 
of  threatening.  She  had  desired  an  occasion  for  rupture 
with  expanding  France.  Prussia  was  equally  restless. 
To  prepare  for  the  rising  storm,  by  renewing  the 
treaty  of  place  and  united  strength,  made  at  Tilsit,  the 
emperor  apjDointed  a  meeting  with  Alexander  of  Russia, 
at  Erfurth  in  Germany.  He  arrived  there  amid  the 
gathered  aristocracy  and  royalty  of  kingdoms,  September 
27th,  1808.  The  autocrat  was  friendly  and  pliable, 
pledging  himself  to  sustain  Napoleon  in  his  plans,  if  he 
might  be  equally  favored  in  his  designs  upon  Turkey 
and  Sweden. 

A  distinguished  lady*  who  was  an  eye-witness  of  the 
splendid  scenes  at  Erfurth,  thus  describes  them  : 

•  Madame  de  Schopenhauner. 


246  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

"  What  an  extraordiuaiy  commotion  reigned  at  that 
time  in  the  contracted  circle  of  the  city  of  Erfurth,  now 
so  deserted!  What  an  epoch  was  that  in  which  the  all- 
powerful  will  of  the  extraordinary  man  who  for  a  number 
of  years  reposed  on  the  rock  of  St.  Helena,  in  a  marvel- 
ous dream  of  life,  brought  together  as  by  a  stroke  of  the 
magician's  wand,  emperors,  kings,  and  other  distin- 
guished men.  What  a  clatter  of  brilliant  equipages, 
among  which  crowds  of  spectators,  attracted  by  curi- 
osity, were  hustled  to  and  fro  at  the  risk  of  being 
crushed  to  death.  Citizens,  peasants,  foreigners,  from 
every  country  ;  courtiers  in  richly  embroidered  cos- 
tumes ;  Polish  Jews,  statesmen,  officers  covered  with 
ribbons  and  crosses,  citizen's  wives,  and  elegantly  dressed 
ladies,  porters,  hod-carriers,  all  squeezing  and  strug- 
gling to  open  a  passage  for  themselves.  From  time  to 
time  French  troops  marching  by,  with  bands  playing, 
added  to  the  confusion  in  the  streets.  The  streets  were 
insufficient  to  contain  the  crowds  which  flowed  into 
Erfurth.  The  principal  inhabitants  were  driven  from 
their  apartments,  and  took  refuge  in  their  servants' 
rooms,  in  order  to  accommodate  the  retinue  of  the 
French  Emperor.  In  the  most  remote  streets,  the 
owners  of  houses  reaped  a  golden  harvest  by  the  hire 
of  rooms.  The  hotels  were  filled  to  overflowing. 
Napoleon  had  caused  the  principal  performers  of  the 
French  tlieater  to  be  present :  Talma,  Mes'd's.  Duches- 
nois,  Mars,  the  beautiful  Georges,  the  charming  Bour- 
goin,  appeared  many  times  a  week  in  their  most  bril- 
liant characters  before  tlic  august  assembly.  A  small 
theater  had  been  fitted  up  in  the  Jesuits'  college  for 
this  purpose,  witli  a  promptitude  and  elegance  truly 
French.  Box  tickets  were  distributed  for  each  repre- 
sentation to  the  native  and  foreij^n  ladies,  but  it  was  no 
easy  matter  to  obtain  them.     After  urgent  solicitation 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  247. 

myself  and  friends  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain 
tickets  for  tlie  representation  of  OEuipus,,  in  which 
Madame  Eaucort  and  Talma  were  to  appear.  At  the 
top  of  the  stairs  we  were  received  by  a  fierce  looking 
soldier  of  the  guard,  who  distributed  us  in  several  boxes, 
almost  empty  at  the  time.  I  was  quite  fortunate  at 
being  seated  with  two  friends,  in  the  front  of  a  box 
near  the  stage,  whence  we  could  easily  see  all  that  was 
passing  in  the  jiarquet.  We  congratulated  ourselves 
at  being  so  comfortably  seated,  but  our  joy  was  prema- 
ture. The  box  adjoining  ours  was  filled  to  excess. 
The  door  of  ours  was  quickly  opened,  '  How  is  this?' 
cried  a  soldier  or  policeman,  I  know  not  which,  '  how  is 
this — three  women  on  three  chairs  in  place  of  six  ! '  At 
the  same  time  he  placed  two  ladies  between  ns,  with 
whom  we  were,  fortunately,  acquainted.  Every  box,  as 
well  as  ours,  was  closely  packed  ;  we  could  scarcely 
move.  The  heat  was  opjiressive,  but  we  had  no  time 
to  think  of  it.  The  interest  of  the  grand  display  which 
Avas  forming  under  our  eyes  in  the  parquet,  so  occupied 
our  attention  that  we  thought  but  little  of  the  incon- 
venience of  our  position. 

"  Immediately  in  front  of  the  stage  were  placed  two 
armchairs  for  the  emperors  :  at  each  side  were  ranges 
of  common  chairs,  for  the  kings  and  reigning  princes. 
The  space  behind  the  seats  began  to  be  occupied. 
There  were  present  statesmen  and  generals  from  most 
of  the  European  powers — men  whose  names  were  then 
celebrated,  and  have  become  a  part  of  history.  The 
French  were  distinguished  from  the  more  serious  and 
modest  Germans,  by  their  richly  embroidered  uniforms, 
and  an  air  of  vivacity  and  confidence.  There  were 
Berthier,  Soult,  Caulaincourt,  Savary,  Lannes,  Duroc, 
and  many  others  equally  celebrated.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  greatness   of  the   master  was  reflected   from   the 


248  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE^. 

countenance  of  each  of  them.  There  was  Goethe, 
calm  and  full  of  dignity ;  the  venerable  Weiland. 
The  Grand  Duke  of  Weimar  had  invited  them  to  Erfurth. 
The  Duke  of  Gotha,  several  German  princes,  reigning 
or  allied  to  reigning  families,  were  grouped  around  the 
two  veterans  of  German  literature. 

"  Drums  were  heard  from  without.  '  It  is  the  em- 
peror,' was  heard  from  every  box.  '  Fools,  what  do 
you  mean  ? '  cried  the  officer  in  command  to  the  drum- 
mers, '  it  is  only  a  king  ! '  In  fact,  a  German  king 
entered,  and  soon  after  three  others.  The  Kings  of 
Saxony,  Bavaria,  and  Wirtemberg  entered  without 
any  parade  ;  the  King  of  Westphalia,  who  came  in 
later,  eclipsed  all  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  rich  em- 
broidery and  jewehy.  The  Emperor  Alexander, 
majestically  tall,  then  entered.  The  state  box  oppo- 
site the  stage  dazzled  the  eyes  with  its  brilliancy. 
The  Queen  of  Westphalia,  covered  with  diamonds,  sat 
in  the  center  ;  next  to  her,  the  charming  Stephanie, 
Grand  Duchess  of  Baden,  was  conspicuous  by  her 
graces  rather  than  by  the  splendor  of  her  apparel. 
Some  German  princesses  sat  near  the  two  reigning 
princesses ;  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  court 
occupied  the  back  part  of  the  box. 

"  At  this  time,  Talleyrand  appeared  in  a  box  fitted 
tip  for  him  on  a  level  with  the  parquet  near  the  stage, 
on  account  of  his  lameness  at  that  time  preventing  him 
from  occupying  a  place  in  the  parquet.  The  emperor 
and  kings  stood  before  the  box,  to  converse  with  the 
ministers  conveniently  seated.  Everybody  had  ar- 
rived. He  alone  who  had  collected  this  magnificent 
assembly  was  yet  wanting.  All,  for  a  long  time, 
aw^aited  his  presence. 

"At  length,  a  loud  beating  of  drams  was  heard,  all 
eyes  were  directed  with  a  restless  curiosity  to  the  en- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  249 

trance.  At  lengtli,  appeared  the  man,  tlie  most  in- 
comprehensible of  this  incompreliensible  era.  Dressed, 
according  to  his  custom,  in  the  simplest  manner,  ho 
hastily  bowed  to  the  sovereigns  present,  who  had  been 
obliged  to  wait  so  long  for  him,  and  seated  himself  in 
the  armchair  at  the  right  of  the  Emperor  of  Eussia. 
His  appearance  poorly  contrasted  with  that  of  the 
superb  Alexander.  The  four  kings  were  seated  on 
common  chairs,  and  the  play  commenced. 

"  In  vain  Talma  disj^layed  all  his  art,  the  parquet 
before  us  occupied  our  whole  attention.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  gens  cVarnies  at  the  door  of  our  box,  exerted 
tliemselves  to  complete  our  lacking  education,  and  to 
inform  us  betweeii  the  acts  of  the  etiquette  to  be  ob- 
served in  the  presence  of  the  master  of  the  world. 
*  Take  away  that  lorgnette  ;  the  emperor  does  not  like 
it ! '  cried  one  of  them,  in  leaning  over  the  ladies  who 
sat  behind  us.  '  Sit  upright.  Do  not  stretch  out  your 
neck  ;  it  is  disagreeable  to  the  emperor  ! '  cried  another. 
The  impertinence  was  great ;  but  we  took  example 
from  the  kings  and  princesses  before  us,  and  patiently 
endured  what  we  could  not  change. 

"  Immediately  after  the  opening  of  the  tragedy, 
which  Napoleon  had,  probably,  seen  a  hundred  times, 
he  put  himself  at  his  ease,  and  slept  profoundly.  It 
was  well  known  that  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night 
he  could  sleep  when  he  wished.  Ocular  witnesses 
assure  us  that  in  the  midst  of  a  battle,  he  purposely 
gave  himself  up  to  sleep,  to  recruit  his  strength,  and 
could  awake  at  any  moment  he  wished.  On  the  day 
of  this  representation  at  Erfurth,  he  was  fatigued  in 
exercising  his  troops  for  many  successive  hours. 

''  It  was  a  singular  spectacle  to  us,  to  see  this  terrible 
man  give  himself  up  to  gentle  sleep,  whose  vast  plans 
caused  happiness  or  uuhappiness   to  half   the  world. 


250  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

We  coutiuued  to  contemplate  with  au  astonishment 
mixed  with  fear  this  profile  of  a  fine  antique,  for 
which  the  dark  uniform  of  Alexander  served  as  a 
background. 

"Twenty  years  have  rolled  away  since — in  1828 — • 
scarcely  the  third  part  of  the  life  of  man,  yet  how 
many  changes  have  happened  in  this  short  space  of 
time  !  "What  a  lofty  flight  has  the  world  taken  in  this 
fifth  part  of  an  age  !  At  that  time  one  could  scarcely 
have  dreamed  what  has  actually  occurred.  With  what 
fury  has  the  scythe  of  time  raged,  and  what  a  terrible 
harvest  it  has  mown  in  so  short  a  period.  Where  are 
the  kings,  the  potentates,  the  grandees  who  were 
assembled  in  this  theater  ?  Where  is  he,  even  he  who 
had  collected  them  together  'i  He  reposes  forever 
upon  the  rock  round  which  dash  the  ocean's  waves  ! 
The  short  and  fair  life  of  Alexander  is  finished.  The 
Kings  of  Saxony,  Bavaria,  and  Wirtemberg  lie  in 
their  marble  tombs.  The  late  King  Jerome  alone  sur- 
vives, but  his  renown  has  vanished  with  his  fantastic 
royalty,  like  a  dream  of  the  morning. 

''The  Grand  Duchess  of  Baden,  the  beautiful  Ste- 
phanie, for  a  long  time  lamented  her  husband  who  was 
taken  away  in  the  flower  of  his  age.  The  Duke  of 
Gotha,  who  needed  not  the  title  of  prince  to  charm  the 
world,  is  dead,  and  with  him,  his  race  is  extinct.  The 
Duke  Charles  Augustus  of  Weimar  lives  only  in  the 
remembrance  of  his  friends.  IIoav  many  imposing 
names  might  be  added  to  this  melancholy  list ! " 

The  divorce  of  Josephine  came  into  the  prospective 
securities  of  the  tlironc,  which  were  discussed  during 
this  royal  conference  with  the  sovereigns  of  Europe. 
Witli  tins  cruel  resort  of  ambition  before  his  mind,  he 
repaired  again  to  Paris.  Napoleon  gave  Josephine  no 
intimation  of  his  design,  but  continued  to  treat  her  with 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BONAPARTE.      251 

all  the  cordiality  he  had  ever  manifested.  Her  dispo- 
sition was  naturally  joyous.  She  was  inclined  to  find  a 
brighter  view  in  every  picture  of  life,  and  it  was  doubt- 
less this  which  sujjported  her  so  well  under  the  sad  ap- 
prehension of  Napoleon's  intentions  toward  her.  Her 
hoi)c fulness,  also,  led  her  at  times  fondly  to  trust  that 
the  storm  would  retire,  while  reason  persuaded  her  that 
the  emperor  would  not  allow  her  happiness  to  thwart 
the  plan  which  she  knew  he  cherished.  "What  Avas  she 
in  comparison  with  him  ?  "What  was  her  poor  human 
heart  worth,  and  what  availed  the  treasure  of  its  affec- 
tion to  him,  who  made  them  subordinate  to  a  throne, 
and  the  inscrij)tion  of  his  name  on  its  columns  ?  Bleed- 
ing affections,  blasted  hoj^es,  and  tears,  never  bowed 
the  will  of  Napoleon.  Josephine  perfectly  understood 
that  such  trifles  in  his  path  would  be  swept  away  like 
chaff  before  the  resistless  march  of  the  wliirlwind. 

Let  not  Napoleon,  however,  be  misunderstood.  As 
we  have  said  before,  he  loved  Josephine,  and  this,  prob- 
ably, with  a  stronger  affection  than  he  ever  gave  to  any 
other  object.  But  he  would  not  let  one  of  the  purposes 
or  plans  which  he  had  formed  go  unaccomplished, 
though  the  world  were  to  perish.  *' All,  or  nothing," 
was  his  motto  when  a  boy  in  Corsica,  and  it  was  the  one 
feeling  of  his  heart  when  ho  became  a  man.  No  plan 
which  he  made  was  a  trivial  one  with  him,  for  it  affected 
himself.  Everything,  in  his  estimation,  should  be  sub- 
servient to  him,  and  everything  over  which  he  had  the 
control  was  made  so.  With  this  view,  we  can  easily  see 
that  his  love  for  Josephine  would  not  endure  for  a 
moment,  if  it  conflicted  with  any  of  his  designs  for  self- 
aggrandizement.  The  empress  understood  it,  and 
knowing  that  one  of  his  cherished  schemes  was  for  the 
perpetuity  of  his  empire,  she  now  clearly  saw  that  her 
own  sacrifice  was  inevitable.      The  Prince  of  Holland 


2ri2  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

had  died  ;  tlie  viceroy,  Eugene,  though  adopted  by 
Napoleon,  Josephine  knew  could  never  be  the  successor 
to  the  empire.  Upon  no  living  member  of  his  own 
family  would  the  emperor  fix  his  choice,  and  there  vras 
thus  left  no  alternative  to  his  seeking  a  wife  who  might 
bring  him  up  an  heir  to  the  throne. 

It  is  not  at  all  unnatural,  that  Napoleon  should  have 
so  strong  a  desire  for  posterity.  Aside  from  jjolitical 
motives,  and  inordinate  self-love,  such  a  desire  belongs 
to  every  man.  It  is  in  a  certain  degree  the  outgoing  of 
every  one's  natural  affection.  The  owner  of  a  single 
hut,  or  of  a  petty  farm,  is  unhappy  if  he  have 

"  No  son  of  his  succeeding  " 

to  whom  he  can  leave  his  solitary  estate.  No  one  quits 
the  world  without  desiring  that  there  should  be  some 
link  to  connect  him  still  to  it  ;  that  there  remain  be- 
hind him  some  stream  of  influence  which  has  risen  in 
himself,  and  wliich,  when  he  is  gone,  shall  flow  on  and 
move  mankind.  It  is  a  wish  natural  to  universal  hu- 
manity, and  there  arc  few  to  which  men  cling  with 
such  sincere  attachment.  It  belonged  to  Napoleon  in 
common  with  his  race,  and  was  stronger  in  him  than 
in  any  other  man,  because  his  power  was  more  extensive, 
and  his  influence  vaster  ;  it  was  a  desire  commensurate 
with  his  own  greatness,  which  grew  with  every  victory, 
and  strengthened  wiih  every  increase  of  his  power, 
winding  itself  more  and  more  closely  about  his  heart 
with  every  step  taken  in  his  ascending  career  ;  and 
which  accompanied  every  thought  of  glory,  and  held  a 
power  over  him  only  equaled  by  that  wliich  he  himself 
swayed  so  tremendously  over  the  minds  of  other  men. 
The  purpose,  which  was  ripening,  now  disappeared 
from  the  surface  of  affairs,  before  the  stormy  events 
crowding  upon  him.     Spain  Mas  in  revolt  and  revolu- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  253 

tion.  England  hud  formed  an  alliance  with  that  king- 
dom, and  her  troops  were  on  its  soil,  while  her  fleet 
swept  the  coasts.  The  mountain  fastnesses  were  filled 
with  armed  men — Joseph  was  compelled  to  flee  from 
Madrid — and  the  butchery  of  French  soldiers  Avas  ter- 
rible. Dupont,  Moncey,  and  Duchesne,  had  been  de- 
feated, and  the  siege  of  Saragossa,  by  Lefebre,  was 
abandoned.  Napoleon  hastened  to  Vittoria,  where  the 
French  legions  lay  encamped,  awaiting  his  arrival. 
Immediately  the  enthusiasm  rose,  and  the  forces  were 
in  motion. 

"  Marshals  Victor  and  Lefebre,  with  forty  thousand 
men,  were  commanded  to  march  upon  the  Spanish 
troops  who  were  Avaiting  for  a  junction  with  the  ap- 
proaching English  army,  in  Biscay.  Soult  was  ordered 
to  put  to  rout  Count  de  Belvidere  in  Estremadura, 
while  Napoleon  himself,  taking  the  main  strength  of 
his  army,  hastened  with  the  rapidity  and  resistlessness 
of  an  avalanche  against  the  whole  left  wing  of  the 
Spanish  host,  as  it  lay  stretched  from  Bilboa  to  Burgos. 
Everywhere,  he  was  successful.  The  Spanish  armies 
melted  away  like  dew  before  him,  and  the  fate  of  all 
those  upon  the  Ebro  was  finally  sealed,  almost  before 
the  English  forces  had  heard  that  Napoleon  had  arrived 
in  Spain.  Following  up  his  successes,  the  emj)eror 
marched  at  once  upon  Madrid,  which  he  entered  upon 
the  4th  of  December,  after  a  stern  but  ineffectual  re- 
sistance. Leaving  the  capital  he  joined  the  division 
under  Soult,  which  was  in  rapid  j^^^i'suit  of  Sir  John 
Moore  and  the  English  army.  Perceiving,  however, 
that  Moore  was  no  longer  worthy  of  his  own  attention, 
he  intrusted  the  consummation  of  his  ruin  to  Soult, 
and  returned  with  his  utmost  haste  to  Paris,  riding 
on  post-horses,  on  one  occasion,  not  less  than  seventy- 
five   Ensflish     miles  in   five    hours   and  a  half.     The 


254  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

cause  of  this  sudden  change  and  extraordinary  haste, 
was  a  sufficient  one  ;  and  it  ere  long  transpired." 

lie  had  received  despatches  from  France  apprising 
him  that  Austria,  improving  his  absence  in  Spain,  with 
his  army,  was  uniting  with  England  to  advance  upon 
him  from  the  north,  to  regain  the  lost  glory  of  Aus- 
terlitz.  Joseph,  not  apprised  of  these  decisive  indica- 
tions of  a  continental  war,  sent  him  upon  the  first  of 
January,  with  his  fraternal  salutations,  warm  expres- 
sions of  his  desire  for  peace.     The  emperor  replied  : 

NAPOLEON"  TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Benevento,  JaNuary  6, 1809. 

**Mt  Brother, — I  thank  you  for  your  new-year's 
day  wishes.  I  have  no  hopes  of  peace  in  Europe  for 
this  year  at  least.  I  expect  it  so  little,  that  I  signed 
yesterday  a  decree  for  raising  one  hundred  thousand 
men.  The  fierce  hatred  of  England,  the  events  at 
Constantinople,  all  betoken  that  tlie  hour  of  peace  and 
repose  has  not  yet  struck.  As  for  you,  your  kingdom 
seems  to  be  settling  into  tranquillity.  The  provinces 
of  Leon,  of  the  Asturias,  and  of  New  Castile,  desire 
nothing  but  rest.  I  hope  that  Gallicia  will  soon  be  at 
peace,  and  that  the  country  will  l)c  evacuated  by  the 
English. 

''  Saragossa  must  fall  before  long,  and  General  St. 
Cyr,  who  has  thirty  thousand  men,  ought  to  settle  the 
affairs  of  Catalonia." 

On  the  15th  he  ordered  the  seizure  of  paintings  for 
the  Louvre : 

"  I  think  that  I  wrote  to  advise  you  to  make  your 
entry  into  Madrid  on  the  14th.  Denon  is  anxious  for 
some  pictures  ;  I  wish  you  to  seize  all  that  you  can 
find  in  the  confiscated  hon?r>?,  and  suppressed  convents. 


I 


IJFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  255 

and  to  make  me  a  present  of  fifty  chefs  d'oeuvre,  which 
I  want  for  the  Museum  in  Paris.  At  some  future 
time  I  will  give  you  others  in  their  places.  Consult 
Denon  for  this  purpose.  He  may  make  proposals  to 
you.  You  are  aware  that  I  Avant  only  what  is  really 
good,  and  it  is  supposed  that  you  are  richly  provided." 

Napoleon  reached  the  capital   January  22,  1809. 

Meanwhile,  Soult  had  chased  the  enemy  to  the  hills 
near  Coruuna,  with  one  of  the  most  ruinous,  sanguin- 
ary, horrible  defeats  in  the  annals  of  war.  It  was  in 
this  campaign  that  Sir  John  Moore,  the  brave  leader 
of  the  retreating  columns,  fell.  Joseph  returned  to 
Madrid,  to  continue  a  short  time  his  troubled  reign, 
uncheered  by  the  willing,  grateful  homage  of  his 
subjects. 

The  condition  of  the  unhappy  king,  of  whom  Na- 
poleon had  complained  that  he  ''was  changing  the 
government,  and  becoming  too  indulgent ; "  and  the 
dictatorial  policy  of  the  emperor,  are  vividly  portrayed 
in  the  affecting  jirotest  of  Joseph. 

JOSEPH   TO    KAPOLEOX. 

"  February  19,  1809. 

'*  Sire — It  grieves  me  to  infer  from  your  letter  of  the 
6th  of  February  that,  with  respect  to  the  affairs  at 
Madrid,  you  listen  to  persons  who  are  interested  in 
deceiving  you.  I  have  not  your  entire  confidence, 
and  yet  without  it  my  position  is  not  tenable.  I  shall 
not  repeat  all  that  I  have  frequently  written  on  the 
state  of  the  finances.  I  devote  to  business  all  my 
faculties  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  eleven  at 
night.  I  have  not  a  farthing  to  give  to  anybody.  I 
am  in  the  fourth  year  of  my  reign,  and  my  guards  are 
still  wearing  the  coats  which  I  gave  to  them  four 
years   ago.     All  complaints  are    addressed  to  me  ;   all 


256  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

prejudices  are  opposed  to  me.  I  have  no  real  power 
beyond  Madrid,  and  even  at  Madrid  I  am  every  day 
counteracted  by  people  who  grieve  that  things  are  not 
managed  according  to  their  own  system.  They  accuse 
me  of  being  too  mild  ;  they  would  become  infamous 
if  I  were  more  severe  and  left  them  to  the  judgment 
of  the  tribunals. 

"  You  thought  proper  to  sequester  the  property  of  ten 
families  ;  more  than  twice  that  number  have  been 
thus  treated.  Officers  are  in  possession  of  every  habit- 
able house  ;  two  thousand  servants  belonging  to  the 
sequestered  families  have  been  turned  into  the  streets. 
All  beg  ;  the  boldest  try  to  rob  and  to  assassinate  my 
officers.  All  those  who  with  me  sacrificed  their  posi- 
tions in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  are  still  billeted  on 
the  inhabitants.  Without  any  capital,  without  any 
revenue,  without  any  money,  what  can  I  do  ?  This 
picture,  dark  as  it  is,  is  not  exaggerated.  I  am  not 
dismayed  ;  I  shall  surmount  these  difficulties.  Heaven 
has  given  to  me  qualities  which  will  enable  me  to  tri- 
umph over  obstacles  and  enemies,  but  what  Heaven 
has  not  given  to  me  is  a  temper  capable  of  bearing  the 
opposition  and  the  insults  of  those  who  ought  to  serve 
me,  and,  above  all,  a  temper  capable  of  enduring  the 
displeasure  of  one  whom  I  have  too  much  loved  to  be 
able  ever  to  hate  him. 

"  If,  then,  Sire,  my  whole  life  docs  not  entitle  me  to 
your  perfect  confidence  ;  if  you  think  it  necessary  to 
surround  me  by  poor  creatures  who  make  me  blush 
for  myself ;  if  I  must  be  insulted  even  in  my  own 
capital  ;  if  I  am  denied  the  right  of  naming  the  govern- 
ors and  the  commanders  who  are  always  before  me, 
and  make  me  contemptible  to  the  Spaniards  and  pow- 
erless to  do  good  ;  if,  instead  of  judging  me  by  results, 
you  put  me  on  my  trial  in   every  detail — under  such 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  257 

circumstances.  Sire,  I  have  no  alternative.  I  am  King 
of  Spain  only  through  the  force  of  your  arms  ;  I  might 
be  so  through  the  love  of  the  Spanish  people,  but  for 
that  purpose  I  must  govern  them  in  my  own  way.  I 
have  often  heard  you  say,  every  animal  has  its  instinct 
and  ought  to  follow  it.  I  will  be  such  a  king  as  the 
brother  and  the  friend  of  your  majesty  ought  to  be, 
or  I  will  return  to  Mortefontaine,  where  I  ask  for  no 
happiness  but  to  live  without  humiliation  and  to  die 
with  a  good  conscience. 

**Onlya  fool  remains  long  in  a  false  position.  In 
forty  years  of  life  I  have  learned  only  what  I  knew 
almost  at  the  beginning,  that  all  is  vanity  excejit  a 
good  conscience  and  self-esteem. 

"  A  Spaniard  has  let  me  know  that  he  has  been  or- 
dered to  give  to  Marshal  Duroc,  day  by  day,  an  exact 
accourt  of  all  that  I  do.  I  am  complained  of  for  hav- 
ing allowed  five  counselors  of  Castile  to  return,  while 
fifteen  more  were  free.  Why  did  I  do  so  ?  Because 
advantage  had  been  taken  of  their  absence  to  pillage 
their  houses.  Sire,  my  misery  is  as  much  as  I  can 
bear  ;  what  I  deserve  and  what  I  expect  from  you  is 
consolation  and  encouragement  ;  without  them  the 
burden  becomes  intolerable  :  I  must  slip  from  under 
it  before  it  crushes  me. 

"  If  there  is  on  earth  a  man  whom  yon  esteem  or 
love  more  than  you  do  me,  I  ought  not  to  be  King 
of  Spain,  and  my  happiness  requires  me  to  cease  to 
be  so. 

*'  I  write  to  you  my  whole  thoughts,  for  I  will  not 
deceive  you  or  myself. 

"I  do  not  choose  to  have  an  advocate  with  you  ;  as 

soon  as  that  becomes  necessary,  I  retire.     During  my 

whole  life  I  shall  be  your   best,   perhaps   your   only, 

friend.     I  will  not  remain  King  of  Spain  unless  you 

17 


258  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

can  chink  this  of  me.  Many  ilhisions  have  left  me  ; 
I  cling  a  little  to  that  of  yonr  friendship  ;  necessary 
as  it  is  to  my  happiness,  I  onglit  not  to  continue  to 
risk  losing  it  hy  playing  the  part  of  a  dupe." 

April  6th,  Austria  issued  a  declaration  of  hostilities, 
and  three  days  later,  Archduke  Charles  crossed  the 
Inn  with  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  troops. 
\\  ith  so  large  an  army  in  Spain,  Napoleon  could  hope 
for  victory  only  by  the  concentrated  and  rapid  action 
which  before  had  won  the  field.  Sending  out  couriers 
to  summon  his  battalions  beyond  the  Alps  and  on  the 
Rhine  to  the  conflict,  without  escort  or  equipage,  he 
rode  with  his  unequaled  speed  when  events  demanded 
his  presence,  accompanied  by  the  devoted  Josephine, 
to  Strasburg.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  army,  April 
13th,  and  on  the  17th  ordered  Davoust  and  Massena 
commanding  the  two  wings  of  the  army,  to  advance 
upon  the  enemy,  while  he  led  the  center,  hemming  in 
completely  the  divisions  of  Charles.  After  a  battle  at 
Abensburg,  on  the  20th,  a  decisive,  v/asting  conflict 
occurred  at  Landshut  on  the  following  day.  The 
archduke  lost  nine  thousand  men,  thirty  guns,  and 
his  stores.  Tlien  mustering  his  entire  strengtli  he  fell 
upon  the  enemy  at  Eckmuhl,  where  an  army  of  two 
hundred  thousand  men  presented,  as  they  believed,  a 
resistless  barrier  to  the  weakened  forces  of  the  victor. 

The  struggle  began  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  continued  with  fierce  activity  till  night  came  down 
npon  the  Golgotha  of  battle.  The  Austrians  were 
driven  from  the  field  and  retreated  toward  Ratisbon. 
The  stupendous  work  was  done  by  falling  upon  tiie 
foe  in  full  force  at  selected  points,  like  the  direct  and 
crushing  descent  of  the  red  bolts  from  the  echoing 
cloud  upon  the  sliivered  oak.     Napoleon  took  twenty 


LIFE  OP^  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  259 

thousand  prisoners,  fifteen  imperial  standards,  and  a 
large  number  of  cannon.  At  Ratisbon,  Charles,  be- 
sides attempting  to  defend  the  town,  again  gave  the 
French  battle,  and  was  overwhelmed  with  their  impet- 
uous legions,  and  compelled  to  flee  into  Bohemia, 
abandoning   Vienna  to  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror. 

The  em2:)eror,  who  seemed  to  have  a  charmed  exist- 
ence, and  had  stood  unharmed  amid  the  hail  of  conflict, 
Avas  wounded  in  this  deadly  encounter  in  one  of  his 
feet,  which  was  hastily  dressed  and  forgotten.  Five 
days  had  given  him  another  triumjih  over  Austria  ;  an 
incredible  result  to  his  paralyzed  foes. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  he  reviewed  his  army,  and 
lavished  rewards  of  heroism  upon  his  elated  troops. 
Davoustwas  created  Duke  of  Eckmuhl.  May  10th,  he 
was  before  the  walls  of  Menna. 

*'The  emperor  had  already  quitted  it,  with  all  his 
family,  except  his  daughter,  the  Archduchess  Maria 
Louisa,  who  was  confined  to  her  chamber  by  illness. 
The  Archduke  Maximilian,  with  the  regular  garrison 
of  ten  thousand  men,  evacuated  it  on  Napoleon's  ap- 
proach ;  and  though  the  inhabitants  had  prepared  for 
a  vigorous  resistance,  the  bombardment  soon  con- 
vinced them  that  it  was  hopeless.  It  perhaps  deserves 
to  be  mentioned,  that  on  learning  the  situation  of  the 
sick  princess,  Bonaparte  instantly  commanded  that  no 
fire  should  be  directed  toward  that  part  of  the  town. 
On  the  10th  a  capitulation  was  signed,  and  the  French 
troops  took  possession  of  the  city,  aud  Napoleon  once 
more  established  his  headquarters  in  the  imperial 
palace  of  Schonbrunn." 

The  "  sick  princess"  afterward  became  the  bride  of 
the  besieging  emperor. 

Charles,  recruiting  his  army,  had  advanced  down  the 
Danube,  and  taken  his  position  in  order  of  battle  op- 


2G0  LIFE  OF  NxVPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

posite  Vienna.  Napoleon  was  willing  to  accept  as  the 
archduke  was  to  give  another  battle.  But  the  ma- 
jestic river  was  swollen  with  a  freshet,  the  bridges  gone, 
and  a  thousand  yards  of  turbulent  waters  between 
them.  The  emperor  selected  the  channel  below  the 
capital,  intersected  by  small  islands,  among  which  the 
largest  was  Lobau,  for  the  perilous  transit.  Boats 
were  prepared  and  anchored  with  chests  of  cannon- 
balls,  planks  laid,  bridges  erected,  and  May  19th,  a 
large  portion  of  his  army  was  on  the  island,  and  the 
following  day,  passed  over  to  meet  the  hostile  host. 
He  entered  the  villages  of  Asperne  and  Essling,  and 
waited  the  movement  of  the  Austrians.  On  the  21st, 
they  appeared  upon  the  rising  outline  of  an  extensive 
plain,  spreading  away  from  the  French  encampment. 
At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  battle  opened 
with  an  assault  upon  Asperne,  which  rapidly  changed 
hands  till  niglit  closed  tlie  slaughter,  leaving  it  under 
the  opposing  flags  of  the  French  and  the  Austrian 
commanders  ;  the  latter  occupying  the  church  and 
burial-ground.  The  Austrians  were  animated  with 
their  partial  success  ;  and  the  next  morning  the  con- 
flict was  renewed  with  fiery  courage.  The  French  re- 
gained possession  of  Asperne,  and  Essling  remained 
unyielding  under  the  protection  of  its  batteries.  At 
this  crisis  the  fire-ships  of  the  enemy  carried  away  the 
bridge  connecting  the  right  bank  of  tlie  river  with 
Lobau.  To  regain  connection  with  his  reserve  now 
separated  from  him,  he  must  retreat  to  the  island, 
intrench  himself  there,  and  reconstruct  the  demolished 
bridge.  Just  then  the  brave  Lannes  was  struck  witli 
a  ball,  and  both  legs  carried  away.  The  disaster 
brought  tears  to  Napoleon's  eyes,  while  the  poor 
marslial  turned  to  him,  his  deity,  for  aid,  dwelling  till 
death   upon   his  name.     During   the   night,   the   em 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  26 1 

peror's  troops  who  survived  the  carnage  safely  landed 
on  Lobau,  and  the  islands  near.  Charles  claimed  the 
victory  ;  but  the  undecisive  advantage  was  too  dearly 
purchased  to  admit  of  following  up  the  blow.  Napo- 
leon felt  that  the  issue  would  shake  the  fearful  power 
of  his  magical  name,  and  resolved  to  profit  by  the  in- 
terlude. "  On  the  fourth  of  July  he  had  at  last  re- 
established thoroughly  his  communication  wdtli  the 
right  bank,  and  arranged  the  means  of  passing  to  the 
left  at  a  point  where  the  archduke  had  made  hardly 
any  preparation  for  receiving  him.  The  Austrians 
having  rashly  calculated  that  Asperne  and  Essling 
must  needs  be  the  objects  of  the  next  contest  as  of  the 
preceding,  were  taken  almost  unawares  by  his  appear- 
ance in  another  quarter.  They  changed  their  line  on 
the  instant  and  occupied  a  position,  the  center  and  key 
of  which  was  the  little  town  of  AVagram." 

Here,  on  the  sixth  of  July,  the  final  and  decisive 
battle  was  fought.  The  archduke  hud  extended  his 
line  over  too  wide  a  space  ;  and  this  old  error  enabled 
Napoleon  to  ruin  him  by  his  former  device  of  pouring 
the  full  shock  of  his  strength  on  the  center.  The  ac- 
tion was  long  and  bloody  :  at  its  close  there  remained 
twenty  thousand  prisoners  besides  all  the  artillery  and 
baggage,  in  the  hands  of  Napoleon.  The  archduke 
fled  in  great  confusion  as  far  as  Znaini  in  Moravia. 
The  imperial  council  perceived  that  further  resistance 
was  vain  :  an  armistice  was  agreed  to  at  Zuaim  ;  and 
Napoleon,  returning  to  Schoubrunn,  continued  occu- 
pied with  the  negotiation  until  October. 

A  few  days  after  he  returned,  he  escajjed  nari'owly 
the  dagger  of  a  young  man,  who  rushed  upon  him  in 
the  midst  of  all  his  staff,  at  a  grand  review  of  the  im- 
perial guard.  Berthier  and  Rnpp  threw  themselves 
upon  the  regicide,  and  disarmed  him  at  the  moment 


iit52  L^FE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

when  his  knife  was  about  to  enter  the  em])oror's  body. 
Najjoleon  demanded  what  motive  had  actuated  tlie 
assassin.  "  What  injury,"  said  he,  "  have  I  done  to 
you?"  *' To  me,  personally  none,"  answered  the 
youth,  "  but  you  are  the  oppressor  of  my  country,  the 
tyrant  of  the  world  ;  and  to  have  put  you  to  death  would 
have  been  the  highest  glory  of  a  man  of  honor."  This 
enthusiastic  youth,  by  name  Stabbs,  son  of  a  clergy- 
man of  Erfurth,  was — justly,  no  doubt — condemned  to 
death,  and  he  suffered  with  the  calmness  of  a  martyr. 

It  was  during  his  residence  at  Schonbrunn  that  a 
quarrel,  of  no  brief  standing,  with  the  pope,  reached 
its  crisis.  The  very  language  of  the  consular  con- 
cordat sufficiently  indicated  the  reluctance  and  pain 
with  which  the  head  of  the  Romish  church  acquiesced 
in  the  arrangements  devised  by  Bonaparte,  for  the 
ecclesiastical  settlement  of  France  ;  and  the  subsequent 
course  of  events,  but  especially  in  Italy  and  in  Spain, 
could  hardly  fail  to  aggravate  those  unpleasant  feel- 
ings. In  Spain  and  in  Portugal,  the  resistance  to 
French  treachery  and  violence  was  mainly  conducted 
by  the  priesthood  ;  and  the  pope  could  not  contem- 
plate their  exertions  without  sympathy  and  favor.  In 
Italy,  meantime,  the  French  emperor  had  made  him- 
self master  of  Naples,  and  of  all  the  territories  lying  to 
the  north  of  the  papal  states  ;  in  a  word,  the  whole  of 
that  i^eninsula  was  his,  excepting  only  that  narrow 
central  strip  which  still  acknowledged  the  temporal 
sovereignty  of  the  Roman  pontitL  This  state  of  things 
was  necessarily  followed  by  incessant  efforts  on  tlio 
part  of  Napoleon  to  procure  from  the  pope  a  hearty  ac- 
quiescence in  the  system  of  the  Berlin  and  Milan  de- 
crees ;  and  thus  far  he  at  length  prevailed.  But  when 
he  went  on  to  demand  tliat  his  lioliuess  should  take  an 
active  part  in  the  war  against  England,  he  was  met  by 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  ^iV.] 

a  steady  refusal.  Irritated  by  this  opposition,  and,  per- 
haps,, still  more  by  his  suspicion  that  the  patriots  of 
the  Spanish  peninsula  received  secret  support  from  the 
Vatican,  Bonaparte  did  not  hesitate  to  issue  a  decree 
in  the  following  words  :  ''Whereas  the  temporal  sov- 
ereign of  Rome  has  refused  to  make  war  against  Eng- 
land, and  the  interests  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Italy 
and  Naples  ought  not  to  be  intercepted  by  a  hostile 
power,  and  vrhereas  the  donation  of  Charlemagne,  oiir 
ilhistrious  predecessor,  of  the  countries  which  form  the 
Holy  See,  was  for  the  good  of  Christianity,  and  not  for 
that  of  the  enemies  of  our  holy  religion,  we  therefore 
declare  that  the  duchies  of  Urbino,  Ancona,  Macerata, 
and  Camarino  be  forever  united  to  the  kingdom  of 
Italy." 

On  the  17th  of  May,  Napoleon  issued,  from  Vienna, 
his  final  decree,  declaring  the  temporal  sovereignty  of 
the  pope  to  be  wholly  at  an  end,  incorporating  Rome 
with  the  French  empire,  and  declaring  it  to  be  his 
second  city  ;  settling  a  pension  on  the  holy  father  in 
his  spiritual  capacity — and  appointing  a  committee  of 
administration  for  the  civil  government  of  Rome.  The 
pope,  on  receiving  the  Parisian  senatus-consultum, 
ratifying  this  imperial  rescript,  instantly  fulminated  a 
bull  of  excommunication  against  Napoleon.  Shortly 
after,  some  unauthentic  news  from  Germany  inspired 
new  hopes  into  the  adherents  of  the  holy  father  ;  and, 
disturbances  breaking  out,  Miollis,  on  pretense  that  a 
life  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  all  Christians  might  be  en- 
dangered, arrested  the  pope  in  his  i^alace,  at  midnight, 
and  forthwith  despatched  him,  under  a  strong  escort,  to 
Savona. 

The  intelligence  of  this  decisive  step  reached  Napo- 
leon soon  after  the  battle  of  Wagram,  and  he  was  in- 
clined to  disapprove  of  the  conduct  of  Miollis  as  too 


264  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

precipitate.  It  was  now,  however,  impossible  to  re- 
cede ;  the  pope  was  ordered  to  be  conveyed  across  the 
Alps  to  Grenoble.  But  his  reception  there  was  more 
reverential  than  Napoleon  had  anticipated,  and  he  was 
soon  reconducted  to  Savona. 

This  business  would,  in  any  other  period,  have  been 
sufficient  to  set  all  Catholic  Europe  in  a  flame  ;  and 
even  now  Bonaparte  well  knew  that  his  conduct  could 
not  fail  to  nourish  and  support  the  feelings  arrayed 
against  him  openly  in  Spain  and  southern  Germany, 
and  suppressed,  not  extinguished,  in  the  breasts  of  a 
great  party  of  the  French  clergy  at  home.  He  made, 
therefore,  many  efforts  to  procure  from  the  pope  some 
formal  relinquishment  of  his  temporal  claims — but 
Pius  VII.  remained  unshaken  ;  and  the  negotiation  at 
length  terminated  in  the  removal  of  his  holiness  to 
Fontainebleau,  where  he  continued  a  prisoaer,  though 
treated  personally  with  respect,  and  even  magnificence, 
during  more  than  three  years. 

The  treaty  with  Austria  was  at  length  signed  at 
Schonbrunn  on  the  14th  of  October.  The  Emperor 
Francis  purchased  peace  by  the  cession  of  Saltzburg, 
and  a  part  of  Upper  Austria,  to  the  Confederation  of 
the  Rhine  ;  of  part  of  Bohemia  to  the  King  of  Saxony, 
and  of  Cracow  and  western  Gallicia  to  the  same  prince, 
as  Grand  Duke  of  Warsaw  ;  of  part  of  eastern  Gallicia 
to  the  czar  ;  and  to  France  herself,  of  Trieste,  Car- 
niola,  Friuli,  Villach,  and  some  part  of  Croatia  and 
Dalmatia.  By  this  act,  Austria  gave  np,  in  all,  terri- 
tory to  the  amount  of  forty-five  thousand  square  miles, 
and  a  population  of  nearly  four  millions  ;  and  Napo- 
leon, besides  gratifying  his  vassals  and  allies,  had  com- 
pleted the  connection  of  tlio  kingdom  of  Italy  with  his 
Illyrian  possessions,  obtained  the  whole  coast  of  tlie 
Adriatic,  and   deprived   Austria   of   her  last  seaport. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  205 

Yet,  when  compared  with  the  signal  triumphs  of  the 
campaign  of  Wagram,  the  terms  on  which  Xapoleon 
signed  the  peace  were  universally  looked  upon  as  re- 
markable for  moderation  ;  and  he  claimed  merit  with 
the  Emperor  of  Eussia  on  the  score  of  having  spared 
Austria  in  deference  to  his  personal  intercession. 

Bonaparte  quitted  Vienna  on  the  IGth  of  October  ; 
was  congratulated  by  the  public  bodies  of  Paris  on  the 
14th  of  November,  as  the  greatest  of  heroes,  who  never 
achieved  victories  but  for  the  happiness  of  the  world. 

On  his  return  to  Paris,  Najioleon  proudly  proclaimed 
to  his  senate,  that  no  enemy  opposed  him  throughout 
the  continent  of  Europe — except  only  a  few  fugitive 
bands  of  Spanish  rebels,  and  the  "English  leopard  "  in 
Portugal,  whom  ere  long  he  would  cause  to  be  chased 
into  the  sea.  "  I  and  my  house,"  said  he,  "  will  ever 
be  found  ready  to  sacrifice  everything,  even  our  own 
dearest  ties  and  feelings,  to  the  welfare  of  the  French 
people." 

This  was  the  first  public  intimation  of  a  measure 
which  had  for  a  considerable  period  occupied  much  of 
Napoleon's  thoughts,  and  which,  regarded  at  the  time 
(almost  universally)  as  the  very  master-stroke  of  his 
policy,  proved  in  the  issue  no  mean  element  of  his  ruin. 

An  incident  occurred  upon  his  approach  to  the  capi- 
tal, which  foreshadowed  sadly  the  hastening  event.  At 
Munich  he  stopped  and  despatched  a  courier  to  the 
empress  at  St.  Cloud,  apprising  her  that  he  should 
arrive  at  Fontainebleau  on  the  27th,  and  directing  the 
court  to  proceed  thither  to  receive  him.  So  rapid, 
however,  was  his  progress,  that  he  reached  Fontaine- 
bleau at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2Gth,  and 
of  course  found  no  preparations  made  for  his  reception. 
This  threw  him  into  a  rage,  though  he  could  not  have 
forgotten  that  his  arrival  was  a  day  earlier  than  he  had 


26C     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

fixed,  and  cursing  tlieir  tardiness,  ordered  a  rourier  lo 
gallop  immediately  to  St.  Cloud,  and  announco  to  the 
empress  liis  arrival,  Fontainebleau  is  forty  miles  dis- 
tant, and  it  was  one  o'clock  before  Josepliinc  received 
the  intelligence.  Aware  of  the  emperor's  disposition, 
she  set  off  hastily,  with  a  feeling  of  dismay,  fearing  ho 
might  charge  the  consequences  of  his  own  haste  upon 
her. 

Toward  evening,  Josephine  arrived  ;  Bonaparte  was 
writing  in  his  library,  and  when  an  attendant  told  him 
the  empress  had  come,  he  took  no  notice  of  the  an- 
nouncement. It  was  the  first  time  he  had  failed  towel- 
come  her  after  absence,  and  not  only  Josephine,  but  all, 
marked  so  strange  a  mood.  Inquiring  after  him,  the 
empress  ran  to  the  library,  threw  o^^en  the  doors,  and, 
unheralded,  stepped  forward  to  greet  him.  At  her  first 
salutation,  the  emperor  raised  his  eyes,  and  without 
rising  from  his  seat,  gave  her  a  look  that  was  like  th.e 
touch  of  death.  '"  Ah  !  so  you  are  come,  madam,"  said 
he,  "  'Tis  well ;  I  was  just  about  to  set  out  for  St.  Cloud. '' 
Josephine  attempted  to  answer,  but  her  emotions  choked 
her,  and  she  burst  into  tears.  Was  this  the  reception 
which  was  to  requite  her  love,  her  fears  for  his  safety, 
her  efforts  for  his  success  ?  As  she  stood  sobbing  there, 
Napoleon's  heart  smote  him,  and  rising,  he  apologized 
for  his  rudeness.  "  Forgive  me,"  he  said,  tenderly 
embracing  her — "  I  own  I  was  wrong.  Let  us  be 
friends  again."  Josephine  was  ready  fo'"  a  reconcilia- 
tion, but  she  could  not  at  once  dry  her  tears.  Retiring 
to  dress,  they  flowed  afresh,  and  for  several  moments 
she  freely  indulged  them.  AVhat  meant  his  coldness, 
and  then  his  returning  favor  ?  Was  his  kindness  real, 
or  did  he  show  it  only  to  give  her  a  false  hope,  as  the 
boa  is  said  to  loosen  its  folds  and  look  brightly  in  tlie 
eye  of  its  victim,  as  a  i)relade  to  the  last  struggle  ? 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAl'ARTE.  267 

When  Josephine  and  the  emperor  again  met,  it  wdn 
with  mutual  smiles,  and  apparent  cordiality.  Ea(;h 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  previous  misunderstand- 
ing, and  mainly  desirous  of  treating  the  other  with 
affection. 

When  at  Paris,  everything  appeared  in  its  accustomed 
way,  and  Josephine  was  ever  glad  of  a  pretext  W'hich 
called  them  there,  for  at  the  palace,  life  was  irksome 
and  full  of  disquiet.  Napoleon  had  told  her  that  she 
stood  in  the  way  of  his  prosperity  ;  that  he  needed  not 
only  an  heir,  but  that  to  render  his  power  stable,  ho 
must  seek  an  alliance  with  one  of  the  great  reign- 
ing houses  of  Europe ;  that  she  lay  as  ever  near  his 
heart,  but  bade  her  ask  herself  the  question,  if  it  would 
be  a  pleasing  reflection,  that  the  great  empire  to  whose 
formation  she  had  essentially  contributed,  was  to  crum- 
ble away  at  his  death.  *' What  a  glorious  sacrifice," 
he  would  say,  ''you  can  make,  not  only  to  myself  but 
to  our  empire."  Josephine  would  answer  sometimes 
by  tears,  then  by  supplications,  and  again  by  arguments, 
to  which  even  Napoleon  could  not  reply.  She  would 
appeal  by  turns  to  his  generosity,  to  his  former  love, 
and  to  his  superstition.  She  would  talk  to  him  of  that 
mysterious  influence  which  had  bound  them  together, 
and  against  which  he  might  not  rashly  sin.  '*  See 
there,"  said  she  to  him  one  starlight  evening  as  they 
sat  alone  at  a  window  of  the  palace — "  Bonaparte,  be- 
hold that  bright  star ;  it  is  mine  !  and  remember,  to 
mine,  not  to  thine,  has  sovereignty  been  promised. 
Separate,  then,  our  fates,  and  j-our  star  fades  I  '* 

Nothing,  however,  could  swerve  the  eni2)eror  from 
his  purpose,  and  Josephine  saw  from  day  to  day  that 
her  influence  over  him  was  declining. 

Bonaparte  endeavored  to  act  his  part  without  betraying 
his  emotion,  but  it  was  in  vain.     The  strong  man  who 


268  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

had  smiled  in  the  face  of  danger  and  death,  trembled  as 
he  drew  near  the  closing  scenes  of  this  strange  drama. 
Some  have  represented  him  as  appearing  to  act  a 
comedy,  and  pass  with  perfect  calmness  through  the 
ordeal ;  but  this  is  only  an  outside  view  of  the 
picture.  It  was  no  farce  that  made  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte weep  in  his  chamber,  while  his  whole  frame 
shook  with  the  emotions  which  were  wildly  strug- 
gling in  his  breast.  But  the  iron  hand  of  destiny 
was  upon  him — destiny  which  had  impelled  him  on  in 
the  career  of  glory,  and  still  pointed  to  a  brighter 
eminence  beyond — and  he  could  not  resist  it.  He 
looked  before  him,  but  tlie  abyss  which  was  already 
yawning  at  his  feet  was  covered,  and  like  a  bed  of 
flowers,  upon  which  his  star  shone  undimmed.  The 
die  was  cast,  his  resolution  was  irrevocably  taken,  and 
though,  while  he  should  carry  it  into  action,  clouds 
might  gather  upon  his  sky,  they  would  roll  away, 
leaving  his  path  the  clearer  and  brighter,  in  contrast 
with  a  transient  eclipse. 

It  was  the  last  day  of  November,  that  he  formally 
announced  his  purpose  to  Josephine.  He  had  previously 
urged  her  to  consent  to  tlie  divorce,  but  had  never  before 
positively  told  her  that  she  must  cease  to  be  his  wife. 
Upon  this  day,  dinner  had  been  served  as  usual,  to 
which  the  emperor  and  empress  sat  down.  Josephine 
had  been  weeping  all  the  morning,  and  to  conceal  the 
tears  which  were  still  falling,  she  appeared  at  the 
dinner-table,  wearing  a  head-dress  which  completely 
shaded  the  upper  part  of  her  face.  The  dinner  was 
one  merely  of  form.  The  viands  were  brought  on  and 
removed,  but  neither  Josephine  nor  Bonaparte  tasted 
the  luxuries  or  uttered  a  word.  Once  or  twice  their 
eyes  met,  but  were  instantly  averted,  each  fearing  to 
read  the  look  which  revealed  the  spirit's  struggle. 


I 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2f)0 

Josephine  saw  that  her  sunlight  had  passed  away,  and 
felt  that  the  storm  would  quickly  spend  its  wrath  upon 
her. 

The  dinner  ceremony  concluded,  the  emperor  rose, 
and  Josephine  followed  him  mechanically  into  the 
adjoining  saloon.  Napoleon  ordered  all  the  attendants 
to  retire,  and  for  a  few  moments  they  were  alone,  and 
both  were  silent.  Josephine  instinctively  apprehended 
her  fate,  but  as  she  watched  the  changing  expression  of 
Bonaparte's  countenance,  and  read  through  these  the 
struggles  of  his  soul,  a  single  ray  of  hope  darted  athwart 
the  gloom.  Approaching  her  with  trembling  steps,  the 
emperor  gazed  at  her  for  a  moment,  then  took  her  hand 
and  laid  it  npon  his  heart,  as  he  said — **  Josephine  !  my 
good  Josephine,  you  know  how  I  have  loved  you  ;  it  is  to 
you,  to  you  alone,  that  I  owe  the  few  moments  of  happi- 
ness I  have  known  in  the  world.  Josephine,  my  destiny 
is  more  powerful  than  my  will ;  my  dearest  affections 
must  yield  to  the  interests  of  France. '^  "  Say  no  more," 
said  the  empress  ;  "  I  expected  this  ;  I  understand  and 
feel  for  you,  but  the  stroke  is  not  the  less  mortal." 
Josephine  stopped ;  she  tried  to  say  more,  but  the 
appalling  vision  of  her  doom  choked  her  utterance. 
She  endeavored  to  command  her  feelings,  but  they  were 
too  strong  to  be  restrained,  and  sobbing  out,  *''  Oh,  no, 
you  cannot  surely  do  it !  you  would  not  kill  me  ?  "  she 
sunk  upon  the  floor,  overcome  with  the  weight  of  her 
calamity.  Napoleon,  alarmed  for  her  safety,  threw 
open  the  doors  of  the  saloon  and  called  for  help.  The 
court  physician  was  instantly  summoned,  and  com- 
mitting the  hapless  empress  to  his  care,  the  author  of 
her  misery  shut  himself  up  in  his  cabinet,  with  feelings 
known  only  to  Him,  whose  Omniscient  eye  "  searches 
the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men.'* 

Josephine  remained  in  her  swoon  for   three  hours. 


270  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Again  aud  again,  the  emperor  came  to  inquire  after 
her,  and  would  hang  over  her  couch  with  an  expres- 
sion of  the  deepest  anxiety.  Corvisart,  the  physician, 
and  Hortense,  watched  eagerly  for  tokens  of  returning 
animation  ;  but  when  the  empress  opened  her  eyes 
again  in  consciousness,  it  was  with  a  look  so  full  of 
sadness,  that  those  who  stood  around,  almost  Avished 
that  she  could  then  bury  her  sorrows  in  the  forgetfnl- 
ness  of  death. 

"I  cannot  describe,"  she  afterward  writes,  "the 
horror  of  my  condition  during  that  night !  Even  the 
interest  which  he  affected  to  take  iu  my  sufferings, 
seemed  to  me  additional  cruelty.  Oh,  mon  Dieu!  how 
justly  had  I  reason  to  dread  becoming  au  empress  !  " 
AVhen  she  recovered,  she  made  no  effort  to  change 
jS'apoleon's  resolution,  but  simply  expressed  to  him  her 
acquiescence.  A  day  or  two  afterward  she  wrote  the 
following  letter  to  the  emperor,  which,  as  it  illustrates 
her  peculiar  feelings  in  relation  to  this  event,  we  have 
inserted  : 

''My  presentiments  are  realized.  Yon  have  pro- 
nounced the  word  which  separates  ns  :  the  rest  is  only 
a  formality.  Such  is  the  reward — I  will  not  say  of  so 
many  sacrifices  (they  were  sweet,  because  made  for  you) 
— but  of  an  attachment  unbounded  on  my  part,  and  of 
the  most  solemn  oaths  on  yours.  But  the  state,  whose 
interests  you  put  forward  as  a  motive,  will,  it  is  said, 
indemnify  me,  by  Justifying  you  !  These  interests, 
however,  upon  which  you  feign  to  immolate  me,  are 
but  a  pretext ;  your  ill-dissembled  ambition,  as  it  has 
been,  so  it  will  ever  continue,  the  guide  of  your  life — a 
guide  which  has  led  you  to  victories  and  to  a  throne, 
and  which  now  urges  yon  to  disasters  and  to  ruin. 

"  You  speak  of  an  alliance  to  contract — of  an  heir  to 
be  given  to  your  empire — of  a  dynasty  to  bo  founded  ! 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  271 

But  with  whom  do  yon  contract  that  alliance  ?  With 
the  natural  enemy  of  France — that  insidious  house  of 
Austria — which  detests  our  country  from  feeling,  sys- 
tem, and  necessity.  Do  you  suppose  that  the  hatred, 
so  many  proofs  of  which  liave  been  manifested,  especially 
during  the  last  fifty  years,  has  not  been  transferred 
frcm  the  kingdom  to  the  empire  ;  and  that  the  de- 
scendants of  Maria  Theresa,  that  able  sovereign,  who 
purchased  from  Madame  Pompadour  tlie  fatal  treaty  of 
1756,  mentioned  by  yourself  only  with  horror  ;  think 
you,  I  ask,  that  her  posterity,  Avhile  they  inherit  her 
power,  are  not  animated  also  by  her  spirit  ?  I  do 
nothing  more  than  repeat  Avhat  I  have  heard  from  you 
a  thousand  times  ;  but  then  your  ambition  limited  itself 
to  humbling  a  power  which  now  you  propose  to  elevate. 
Believe  me,  so  long  as  you  shall  be  master  of  Europe, 
Austria  will  be  submissive  to  you  ;  but  never  know 
reverse. 

"As  to  the  want  of  an  heir,  must  a  mother  appear  to 
you  prejudiced  in  speaking  of  a  son  ?  Can  I — ouglit  I 
to  be  silent  respecting  him  who  constitutes  my  whole 
joy,  and  on  whom  once  centered  all  your  hopes  ?  The 
adoption  of  Eugene  was,  then,  a  political  falsehood  ? 
But  there  is  one  reality,  at  least ;  the  talents  and  virtues 
of  my  Eugene  are  no  illusion.  How  many  times  have 
you  pronounced  their  eulogiura  !  What  do  I  say  ?  Have 
you  not  deemed  them  worthy  the  possession  of  a  throne 
as  a  recompense,  and  often  said  they  deserved  more  ? 
Alas  !  France  has  repeated  the  same  ;  but  what  to  you 
are  the  wishes  of  France  ? 

"  I  do  not  here  speak  of  the  person  destined  to  succeed 
me,  nor  do  you  expect  that  I  should  mention  her. 
Whatever  I  might  say  on  the  subject  v-^ould  be  liable 
to  suspicion.  But  one  thing  you  will  never  ruspect — 
the  vow  which  I  form  for  your  happiness.     ^luy  that 


272  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

felicity  at  least  recompense   me  for  my  sorrows.     Ah  ! 
great  it  will  be  if  proportionate  to  them  ! " 

Tlie  empress  was  not  a  woman  that  yielded  to  despair, 
though  to  appear  cheerful,  or  even  calm,  at  this  time, 
cost  her  a  struggle  that  shook  the  throne  of  reason. 
But  she  was  empress  still,  and  while  her  moments  of 
solitude  were  consumed  in  weeping  and  unavailirg 
regret,  she  lost  none  of  her  dignity  or  ease  when 
subjected  to  the  curious  gaze  of  the  officers  of  the  court, 
or  the  ladies  who  had  a  more  immediate  access  to  her 
person.  She  even  went  to  Paris,  and  presided  at  some 
of  the  splendid  fetes  given  in  honor  of  Xapoleon's  late 
victories  ;  but  in  all  her  movements,  no  one  detected 
a  step  less  light,  an  airless  gay,  a  mien  less  commanding, 
than  had  distinguislied  her  in  the  palmiest  days  of  her 
imperial  happiness,  Ilortense  was  at  Fontainebleau 
when  Napoleon  made  his  announcement  to  the  empress, 
and  Eugene  left  Italy  and  hastened  to  cheer  his  mother 
by  his  presence,  as  soon  as  the  first  tidings  of  her 
calamity  reached  him.  Both  of  her  children  desired 
immediately  to  withdraw  from  further  association  with 
Napoleon.  Eugene  tendered  his  resignation  as  viceroy 
of  Italy,  and  asked  to  be  excused  from  future  service. 
Said  he,  "  The  son  of  her  who  is  no  longer  empress, 
cannot  remain  viceroy.  I  will  follow  my  motlier  into 
her  retreat.  She  must  now  find  her  consolation  in  her 
children."  Napoleon  was  much  affected  at  this  declara- 
tion, and  urged  Eugene  not  to  relinquish  hastily  his 
honors.  He  told  him  that  it  was  necessity,  and  not 
inclination,  Avhich  urged  the  sacrifice  of  Josephine ; 
that  he  still  loved  her,  and  lavished  the  same  affections 
upon  her  children  as  before.  "  Should  you  leave  me," 
said  he,  "and  should  I  have  a  son,  who  would  Avatch 
over  the  child  when  I  am  absent  ?  If  I  die,  who  Avill 
prove  to  him  a  father  ?  who  will  bring  him  up  ?  who  is 


I 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  273 

to  make  a  man  of  him  ?  "  Josephine  also  heroically 
pleaded  Xapoleon's  request.  "  The  emperor,"  said  she 
to  Eugene,  "  is  your  benefactor,  your  more  tlian  father, 
to  whom  you  are  indebted  for  everything,  and,  there- 
fore, owe  a  boundless  obedience."  History  hardly 
shows  a  stronger  instance  of  self-denying  devotion  than 
that  which  the  empress  exhibited  during  the  whole  of 
these  scenes. 

That  "fatal  day"  was  not  to  be  averted.  It  came, 
and  notwithstanding  her  previous  fortitude,  the  blow 
fell  with  a  crushing  weight  upon  her  soul.  A  stupor, 
as  though  death  were  fastening  his  arrow  in  her  heart, 
came  over  her.  She  was  the  gay  and  lovely  Josephine 
no  longer.  She  lost  the  self-control  which  she  had  with 
so  much  conflict  gained,  and  was  again  a  weak,  broken- 
hearted woman,  helpless  and  comfortless ;  a  vine 
reaching  forth  in  vain  its  tendrils  for  the  support 
whence  it  was  rudely  torn. 

The  loth  of  December  had  been  announced  as  the 
day  for  the  intended  separation.  Napoleon  had  caused 
to  assemble  at  the  Tuilleries  the  different  members  of 
his  own  family,  the  Arch-chancellor  of  France,  and  all 
the  high  officers  of  state  who  composed  the  imperial 
council.  It  was  a  magnificent  assembly,  but  each 
countenance  wore  a  shade  of  gloom,  as  if  some  terrible 
blow  were  impending  over  the  dearest  prospects  of  every 
heart.  Napoleon  first  addressed  them  and  told  them 
the  object  of  his  calling  them  together.  "  The  political 
interests  of  my  monarchy,"  said  he,  "  the  wishes  of  my 
people,  which  have  constantly  guided  my  actions, 
require  that  I  should  leave  behind  me,  to  heirs  of 
my  love  for  my  people,  the  throne  on  which  Prov- 
idence has  placed  me.  For  many  years  I  have  lost 
all  hopes  of  having  children  by  my  beloved  spouse  the 
Empress  Josephine :  this  it  is   which   induces  me  to 


274  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

sacrifice  the  sweetest  affections  of  my  heart,  to  consider 
only  the  good  of  my  subjects  and  desire  a  dissolution 
of  our  marriage.  Arrived  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  I 
may  indulge  a  reasonable  hope  of  living  long  enough  to 
rear,  in  the  spirit  of  my  own  thoughts  and  disposition, 
the  children  with  which  it  may  please  Providence  to 
bless  me,  God  knows  what  such  a  determination  has  cost 
my  heart !  but  there  is  no  sacrifice  which  is  above  my 
courage  when  it  is  proved  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of 
France.  Far  from  having  any  cause  of  complaint,  I 
have  nothing  to  say  but  in  praise  of  the  attachment 
and  tenderness  of  my  beloved  wife.  She  has  embellished 
fifteen  years  of  my  life — the  remembrance  of  them  will 
be  forever  engraven  on  my  heart  ;  she  was  crowned  by 
my  hand  :  she  shall  retain  always  that  rank  and  the 
title  of  empress  ;  but,  above  all,  let  her  never  doubt 
my  feelings,  or  regard  me  but  as  her  best  and  dearest 
friend.'^ 

The  sweet  but  faltering  tones  of  Josephine^s  voice 
struck  a  chord  of  sympathy  in  every  heart,  as  she  thus, 
Avith  great  dignity,  replied — ''  I  respond  to  all  the  sen- 
timents of  the  emperor,  in  consenting  to  the  dissolu- 
tion of  a  marriage,  which  henceforth  is  an  obstacle  to 
the  happiness  of  France,  by  depriving  it  of  the  blessing 
of  being  one  day  governed  by  the  descendants  of  that 
great  man,  evidently  raised  np  by  Providence  to  efface 
the  evils  of  a  terrible  revolution,  and  restore  the  altar, 
the  throne,  and  social  order.  But  his  marriage  will  in 
no  respect  change  the  sentiments  of  my  heart  ;  the  em- 
peror will  ever  find  in  me  his  truest  friend.  I  know 
what  this  act,  commanded  by  policy  and  exalted  inter- 
ests, has  cost  his  heart  ;  but  we  both  glory  in  the  sacri- 
fices which  we  make  to  the  good  of  the  country.  I 
feel  elevated  in  giving  the  greatest  proof  of  attachment 
and  devotion  that  was  ever  given  upon  earth.''     When 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  275 

she  had  finished,  the  empress  was  assisted  out  of  the 
u])artment,  but  the  exercises  of  the  day,  from  which 
she  was  drinking  such  draughts  of  bitterness,  Avere  not 
yet  brought  to  a  close.  Again  had  the  imperial  family 
and  chief  nobles  of  the  realm  assembled,  all  in  grand 
costume,  to  witness  the  final  consummation,  A  decree 
of  the  Senate  had  been  obtained,  proclaiming  the  divorce, 
and  all  that  was  now  necessary,  was  that  it  receive  the 
signatures  and  seals  of  the  parties  to  be  separated. 
Xapoleon  wore  a  hat  whose  sweeping  plumes  mostly 
concealed  his  face,  but  an  observer  could  still  read  in 
his  countenance  traces  of  deep  emotion.  He  stood 
with  his  arms  crossed  upon  his  breast  motionless  and 
speechless.  A  writing  apparatus  of  gold  lay  upon  a 
small  table  in  the  midst  of  the  apartment,  and  before 
it  an  armchair  was  placed,  Avaiting  the  entrance  of  the 
empress.  The  door  opened  and  Josephine,  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  Hortense,  came  slowly  forward.  For  a  mo- 
ment she  gave  an  involuntary  shudder,  and  paused 
while  her  lustrous  eye  ran  over  the  face  of  every  one 
present,  as  though  she  had  now  for  the  first  time  gained 
a  full  apprehension  of  her  doom. 

It  was,  however,  but  for  a  moment,  and  proceeding 
forward  she  seated  herself  in  the  chair  at  the  table, 
and  listened  to  the  decree  of  the  council  which  com- 
pleted the  separation  between  herself  and  the  object 
of  her  warmest  affections.  The  decree  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  Art.  I.  The  marriage  contracted  between  the  Em- 
peror Napoleon  and  the  Empress  Josephine,  is  dis- 
solved. 

"  Art.  II.  The  Empress  Josephine  shall  preserve  the 
title  and  rank  of  Empress  Queen  Crowned. 

"  Art.  III.  Her  allowance  is  fixed  at  an  annual  pay- 
ment out  of  the  public  treasury. 


276  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

"Art.  IV.  Whatever  provision  the  emperor  shall 
make  in  favor  of  the  Empress  Josephine  out  of  the 
funds  belonging  to  the  civil  list,  shall  be  obligatory 
upon  his  successors. 

"  Art.  V.  The  present  Senatus-consultum  shall  be 
transmitted  by  a  message  to  her  imperial  and  royal 
majesty.'" 

Josephine  listened  to  this  decree,  but  the  warm  tears 
fell  like  rain  from  her  quivering  lids.  Kising  from  her 
chair,  she  pronounced  the  oath  of  acceptance  with  a 
tremulous  voice,  and  tlien  overcome  witli  emotion,  sank 
again  into  her  seat.  Count  Regnaud  de  St.  Jean 
d'Angely  placed  the  jDcn  in  her  hand,  with  which  she 
signed  the  fatal  decree.  The  deed  was  done,  but  oh  ! 
with  what  a  heaving  heart  did  that  martyr  lay  down  the 
pen,  and  look  up  to  catch  one  glance  of  love  from  the 
stern  countenance,  which,  j)ale  and  motionless  as  that 
of  a  statue,  was  turned  full  u23on  her.  "With  one  con- 
vulsive sob  slie  rose,  and  leaning  again  upon  the  arm 
of  Ilortense,  left  the  apartment  no  longer  the  wife  of 
Bonaparte. 

Eugene,  who  had  been  an  agonized  spectator  of  the 
whole  scene,  followed  her  closely,  but  his  emotions 
were  too  strong  for  his  sensitive  nature  to  endure.  He 
had  hardly  left  the  saloon  before  he  fainted  and  fell, 
completely  overcome  by  his  anguish. 

Josephine  shut  herself  up  in  her  apartment,  where 
the  sorrow  of  her  soul  could  be  unseen  by  human  eye. 
She  had  nerved  herself  for  the  issue,  liad  for  days  been 
steeling  her  heart  to  composure,  but  when  the  blow  fell, 
she  bowed  like  a  reed  before  the  tempest.  It  was  in 
vain  that  she  assumed  tranquillity  :  the  tide  of  feeling 
swept  its  barriers.  At  night  she  sought  a  last  interview 
with  Napoleon.  He  had  retired  to  rest  when,  with 
eyes  swollen  and  red  from  weeping,  Josephine  entered 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  277 

the  apartment.  She  threw  open  the  door  but  stopped, 
as  she  saw  the  emj^eror,  doubtful  whether  to  advunco 
or  retii'e.  A  tlirong  of  emotions — delicacy,  love — 
tlie  consciousness  that  she  had  no  longer  any  right 
there,  and  an  unwillingness  to  leave  without  an  adieu, 
struggled  in  her  breast.  Napoleon,  dismissing  his  ser- 
vant in  waiting,  rose  and  clasped  the  Empress  in  his 
arms,  and  for  a  few  moments  they  were  locked  in  each 
other's  embrace,  silently  mingling  their  tears  together. 
Josephine  remained  with  him  an  hour,  and  then  parted 
from  the  man  who  had  won  and  broken  her  heart. 
Her  sobs  told  what  a  weight  of  sorrow  still  rested  upon 
her  spirit  as  she  left  the  apartment,  but  the  bitterness 
of  death  had  jiassed. 

And  another  trial  was  in  store  for  her.  The  next 
morning  she  was  to  leave  the  Tuilleries,  and  bid  adieu 
to  scenes  sacred  to  the  memory  of  happiest  years. 
At  eleven  o'clock  an  officer  of  the  guard  entered  her 
room,  and  told  her  that  he  had  orders  to  conduct  her 
to  Malmaison.  Silently  she  prepared  to  obey  the  sum- 
mons, but  paused  to  weep  again,  when  she  thouglit  of 
what  she  had  sacrificed  and  what  she  was  to  leave. 
To  add  to  her  sadness,  the  whole  household,  who  were 
tenderly  attached  to  her,  assembled  together  on  the 
stairs  and  in  the  vestibule  through  which  she  was  to 
pass,  anxious  to  catch  one  last  look  at  their  martyr 
mistress,  *'  who  carried  with  her  into  exile  the  hearts 
of  all  that  had  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  access  to  her 
presence.'*  The  expressions  of  their  grief  as  they  met 
her  ears,  were  too  much  for  the  heart  of  Josephine. 
She  would  have  stopj)ed  and  taken  them  each  by  the 
hand,  but  she  knew  if  she  had  hesitated  now,  a  de- 
lirium of  grief  would  lay  her  a  helpless  victim  at  their 
feet.  She  leaned  upon  one  of  her  ladies,  and  moved 
on  with  mournful  step,  more  tremulously  and  wearily 


278  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

than  the  uufortunate,  but  faithful  Beauharnais,  had 
trod  the  floor  of  the  guillotine.  A  carriage  stood  at 
the  gates,  an  officer  assisted  her  up  the  steps,  and 
pausing  to  take  a  farewell  gaze  at  the  scenes  of  past 
greatness  and  departed  hajipiness,  she  veiled  a  face 
whose  twofold  expression  of  resignation  and  sorrow 
made  it  indescribably  touching  and  lovely ;  and  was 
borne  away  forever  from  the  palace  consecrated  by  her 
presence,  to  the  empire  of  virtue  and  affection, 

Josephine  returned  to  Malmaison,  the  mansion 
which  twelve  years  before  she  entered  as  the  bride  of 
Napoleon,  and  where  she  had  passed  the  happiest 
hours  of  life,  now  heart-broken  and  desolate.  She 
struggled  vainly  to  calm  the  agitation  of  her  unoffend- 
ing spirit,  that  forced  the  tears  like  rain  from  her 
swollen  eyes,  and  to  hide  the  agony  written  in  un- 
mistakable lines  upon  her  meek  and  mournful  face. 
Though  past  middle  age,  she  was  still  youthful  in  ap- 
pearance, and  seemed  the  very  augel  of  sorrow,  smil- 
ing through  the  grief  and  gloom  of  her  great  calamity  ; 
the  more  distressed,  because  others  were  sad  on  her 
account.  Every  object  that  she  looked  upon  reminded 
her  of  the  varied  past,  her  present  humiliation,  and  a 
joyless  future.  Her  favorite  walks  were  no  more  taken 
for  refreshment  or  pleasure,  but  became  the  hours  of 
weeping,  while  every  ajDartment  of  that  villa,  chosen 
and  embellished  by  her  taste,  presented  to  her  eye 
some  trace  of  the  man  whose  ambition  crushed  her, 
or  gave  back  to  her  imagination  an  echo  of  his  familiar 
voice.  It  was  not  simply  tluit  her  divorce  was  unjust, 
and  her  jiride  wounded  by  so  rudely  taking  from  her 
brow  a  crown  she  had  not  sought,  but  her  affections 
were  torn  from  their  object  and  bleeding — she  was 
spurned  from  a  heart  that  had  won  her  own,  and  loved 
deeply  in  turn — and  all  to  gratify  an  insatiate  thirst 


1 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2T9 

for  power  imd  permanent  fame.  None  but  those  who 
liave  striven  to  conceal  the  tliroes  of  anguish  which 
almost  brought  tears  of  blood,  can  sympathize  with 
this  uncomplaining  sufferer  during  the  months  that 
succeeded  her  separation  from  Napoleon. 


280  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 


The  choice  of  anew  empress. — Josephine's  experience.— Napoleon's  power 
shaken.— The  birth  of  a  prince.— Propositions  of  peace  with  England.— 
War  with  Russia. — His  progress  to  Dresden.— He  reaches  Dantzic. — The 
Grand  Army  cross  the  Niemen. — Tlie  Poles  hail  the  presence  of  the  em- 
peror with  hope. — The  Russian  method  of  destruction  to  the  enemy. — 
Napoleon  enters  Moscow. — He  occupies  the  Kremlin. — Letter  to  Alex- 
ander.— Conflagration  of  Moscow.— Tlie  retreat. — The  march  to  Smolensk. 
— Conspiracy  in  Paris.— Marshal  Ney.— His  supposed  death— His  rescue. 
— The  wasting  army  reach  the  Beresina. — The  tragical  crossing  of  the 
river  Wilna. — Napoleon  returns  to  Paris. — Reaches  the  palace  at  night.— 
The  rear-guard  of  the  Grand  Army. 


The  choice  of  a  new  Empress  of  France  lay  mainly 
between  Austria  and  Russia.  Alexander  desired  the 
alliance  because  he  anticipated  conditions  which  would 
advance  his  designs  against  the  restoration  of  Poland, 
and  especially  those  upon  Constantinople.  After  con- 
sulting his  Privy  Council,  a  majority  of  whom  favored 
the  Austrian  princess,  Napoleon  opened  negotiations 
with  Francis.  Berthier,  in  behalf  of  his  sovereign,  re- 
ceived her  hand  at  Vienna,  and  the  marriage  was  cele- 
brated, March  10,  1810,  in  that  capital,  with  great 
splendor.  The  bride  commenced  her  journey  to 
France,  amid  the  exultation  of  the  people.  Najioleon 
hastened  to  take  her  by  surprise.  Disregarding  the 
order  of  arrangements,  he  rode  toward  Soissons,  and 
as  her  carriage  approached,  leaving  his  own,  sprang 
into  the  presence  of  Maria  Louisa.  Surprised  and 
pleased  at  his  enthusiasm,  she  said  as  soon  as  the  ex- 
citement passed:  "Your  l\Iajesty's  pictures  have  not 
ilone  you  justice."    Napoleon  was  forty  years  of  age, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  281 

the  empress  eighteen — both   fine-looking,   and  in  per- 
fect health. 

The  following  distich,  which  a  burgomaster  of  Hol- 
land placed  on  a  triumj^hal  arch  erected  to  Napoleon, 
is  well  known  : 

"  II  n'a  pas  fait  una  sottise 
En  epousant  Marie-Louise."  * 

Napoleon  had  no  sooner  read  this  singular  inscrip- 
tion, than  he  sent  for  the  burgomaster.  "  Mr.  Mayor," 
said  he,  "  yon  cultivate  the  French  muses  here ! " 
*' Sire,  I  com2:)Ose  a  little."  "Ah  !  it's  you,  then  ! 
Do  you  take  snuff?"  added  he,  on  presenting  him 
a  snuff-box  enriched  Avith  diamonds.  "Yes,  sir;  but 
I-—"     "  Take  it,  take  it— box  and  all  !     And 

"  Quand  vous  prendrez  line  prise, 
Rappelez-vous  Marie-Louise."  f 

They  spent  the  evening  at  the  Chateau  of  Com- 
piegne,  where  it  was  expected  they  would  first  meet, 
and  April  1st,  the  marriage  which  was  virtually  con- 
summated according  to  Austrian  statutes,  was  formally 
and  civilly  celebrated  at  St.  Cloud.  The  following 
day  the  grand  entry  was  made  into  Paris.  He  acted 
the  part  of  a  devoted  lover,  but  could  not  and  did  not 
forget  Josephine.  He  endeavored  in  vain  to  induce 
Maria  Louisa  to  become  acquainted  with  the  former 
wife  of  Naj)oleon — still  the  queen  of  his  heart. 

Malmaison  had  fallen  much  into  decay  during  the 
years  of  change  in  the  empire.  To  restore  the  departed 
grandeur  and  beauty  was  Josephine's  new  employment, 
which  was  a  double  source  of  delight,  in  furnishing 

*  "  He  has  not  done  a  foolish  thing 
In  marrying  Marie-Louise." 

t "  When  you  shall  take  a  pinch  of  snuff 
B«mdmbor  Marie-Louise.'' 


0S2  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  r.OXAPARTE. 

entertaiument  to  herself,  and  a  means  of  beuevolence 
in  the  labors  of  the  poor  peasantry.  Bonaparte  gave 
her  a  million  of  francs,  or  forty-one  thousand  ^Doiinds 
sterling,  on  her  retirement,  as  a  part  of  her  allowance, 
which  she  devoted  entirely  to  this  object.  Soon  the 
wilderness  of  decay  "  blossomed  as  the  rose " ;  the 
waters  sparkled  and  murmured  along  their  channels, 
and  slumbered  in  their  boundaries  fringed  with  foliage 
— the  sunny  slopes  were  gay  with  flowers,  and  the  wide 
fields  alive  with  the  laborers,  who  were  grateful  for 
toil,  if  it  purchased  bread.  In  the  center  of  this 
miniature  kingdom,  the  ex-empress  lived  more  secluded 
than  before,  and  consequently  more  in  unison  with  her 
taste.  There  were  less  parade,  and  fewer  guests,  but 
more  freedom  and  greater  intimacy  of  friendshijj. 

Yet  Josephine  felt  not  a  thrill  of  joy  amid  all  this 
change,  unless  upon  receiving  words  of  love  from  Na- 
jjoleon,  or  at  the  gladness  of  others.  The  words  of  in- 
spiration were  deeply  her  experience:  "Every  heart 
knows  its  own  bitterness  !  "  There  is  nothing  more  sad 
in  life's  changes,  than  the  suffering  of  the  innocent 
for  the  guilty  ;  the  unuttered  grief  of  a  bosom  another 
has  robbed  of  hope — the  slow  death  of  one  who  has  a 
wounded  sjiirit.  But  such  are  the  woes  that  make  the 
pastime  of  half  the  world.  The  millionaire  rides  in  a 
gilded  chariot  bought  with  the  gains  that  made  tears 
fall  like  rain — the  man  with  a  little  brief  authority 
walks  unmoved  upon  the  prostrate  form  of  another 
whom  he  fears  or  hates — and  in  a  thousand  homes, 
woman  is  a  secluded  martyr  to  the  vice  and  caprice  of 
a  heartless  ruflian. 

To  Josepliluc,  this  view  of  earth,  after  the  completed 
work  of  desolation,  which  banished  her  from  St.  Cloud, 
became  naturally  the  habitual  one,  as  expressed  in  a 
letter  to  Bonaparte  : 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BONAPARTE.  283 

"  Sire — I  received,  this  morniug,  the  welcome  note 
which  was  written  on  the  eve  of  your  departure  for 
St.  Cloud,  and  hasten  to  rejjly  to  its  tender  and  affec- 
tionate contents.  Tliese,  indeed,  do  not  in  themselves 
surprise  me  ;  but  only  as  being  received  so  early  as 
fifteen  days  after  my  establishment  here  ;  so  perfectly 
assured  was  I  that  your  attachment  would  search  out 
the  means  of  consoling  me  under  a  separation  neces- 
sary to  the  tranquillity  of  both.  The  thought  that 
your  care  follows  me  into  my  retreat  renders  it  almost 
agreeable. 

"  After  having  known  all  the  sweets  of  a  love  that 
is  shared,  and  all  the  suffering  of  one  that  is  so  no 
longer  ;  after  having  exhausted  all  the  pleasures  that 
supreme  power  can  confer,  and  the  happiness  of  be- 
holding the  man  whom  I  loved,  enthusiastically  ad- 
mired, is  there  aught  else,  save  repose,  to  be  desired  ? 
What  illusions  can  now  remain  for  me  ?  All  such 
vanished  when  it  became  necessary  to  renounce  you. 
Thus,  the  only  ties  which  yet  bind  me  to  life  are  my 
sentiments  for  you,  attachment  for  my  children,  the 
possibility  of  being  able  still  to  do  some  good,  and 
above  all,  the  assurance  that  you  are  happy.  Do  not, 
then,  condole  with  me  on  my  being  here,  distant  from 
a  court  which  you  appear  to  think  I  regret.  Sur- 
rounded by  those  who  are  attached  to  me,  free  to  fol- 
low my  taste  for  the  arts,  I  find  myself  better  at  Na- 
varre than  anywhere  else  ;  for  I  enjoy  more  completely 
the  society  of  the  former,  and  form  a  thousand  jirojects 
which  may  prove  useful  to  the  latter,  and  will  embel- 
lish the  scenes  I  owe  to  your  bounty.  There  is  much 
to  be  done  here,  for  all  around  are  discovered  the 
traces  of  destruction  ;  these  I  would  efface,  that  there 
may  exist  no  memorial  of  those  horrible  inflictions 
which  your  genius  has  taught   the   nation  almost   to 


284  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

forget.  In  repairing  whatever  these  ruffians  of  revo- 
lution labored  to  annihilate,  I  shall  diffuse  comfort 
around  me  ;  and  the  benedictions  of  the  poor  will 
afford  me  infinitely  more  pleasure  than  the  feigned 
adulations  of  courtiers. 

"  I  have  already  told  you  what  I  think  of  the  func- 
tionaries in  this  department,  but  have  not  spoken 
sufficiently  of  the  respectable  bishop  (M.  Bourlier). 
Every  day  I  learn  some  new  trait,  which  causes  me 
still  more  highly  to  esteem  the  man  Avho  unites  the  most 
enlightened  benevolence  with  the  most  amiable  disposi- 
tions. He  shall  be  entrusted  with  distributing  my 
alms-deeds  in  Evreux  ;  and  as  he  visits  the  indigent 
himself,  I  shall  be  assured  that  my  charities  are  properly 
bestowed. 

"'  I  cannot  sufficiently  thank  you,  sire,  for  the  liberty 
you  have  permitted  me  of  choosing  the  members  of  my 
household,  all  of  whom  contribute  to  the  pleasure  of  a 
delightful  society.  One  circumstance  alone  gives  me 
pain,  namely,  the  etiquette  of  costume,  which  becomes 
a  little  tiresome  in  the  country.  You  fear  tliat  there 
may  be  something  wanting  to  the  rank  I  have  preserved, 
should  a  slight  infraction  be  allowed  in  the  toilet  of 
these  gentlemen  ;  but  I  believe  you  are  wrong  in  thinking 
they  would,  for  one  minute,  forget  the  respect  due  to 
the  woman  who  was  your  companion.  Their  respect 
for  yourself,  joined  to  the  sincere  attachment  they  bear 
to  me  (which  I  cannot  doubt),  secures  me  against  the 
danger  of  being  obliged  to  recall  Avhat  it  is  your  wish 
they  should  remember.  My  most  honorable  title  is 
derived,  not  from  having  been  crowned,  but  assuredly 
from  having  been  chosen  by  you — none  other  is  of 
value — that  alone  suffices  for  my  immortality. 

"  I  expect  Eugene.  I  doubly  long  to  see  him  ;  for 
he  will  doubtless  bring  me  a  new  pledge  of  your  re- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2S5 

membrance  ;  and  I  can  question  lihn  at  my  ease  of  a 
thousand  things  concerning  which  I  desire  to  be 
informed,  but  cannot  inquire  of  you  ;  tilings,  too,  of 
which  you  ought  still  less  to  speak  to  nie.  My  daughter 
will  come  also,  but  later,  her  health  not  permitting  her 
to  travel  at  this  season.  I  beseech  you,  sire,  to  recom- 
mend that  she  take  care  of  herself  ;  and  insist,  since  I 
am  to  remain  here,  that  she  do  everything  possible  to 
spare  me  the  insupportable  anxiety  I  feel  under  any 
increase  of  her  ill-health.  The  weakness  in  her  chest 
alarms  me  beyond  all  expression.  I  desire  Corvisart  to 
write  me  his  opinion  without  reserve. 

"  My  circle  is  at  this  time  somewhat  more  numerous 
than  usual,  there  being  several  visitors,  besides  many 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Evreux  and  the  environs,  whom  I 
see  of  course.  I  am  pleased  with  their  manners,  and 
with  their  admiration  of  you,  a  particular  in  which,  as 
you  know,  I  am  not  easily  satisfied  ;  in  shoi't,  I  find 
myself  perfectly  at  home  in  the  midst  of  my  forest,  and 
entreat  you,  sire,  no  longer  to  fancy  to  yourself  that 
there  is  no  living  at  a  distance  from  court.  Besides 
you,  there  is  nothing  there  I  regret,  since  I  shall  have 
my  children  with  me  soon,  and  already  enjoy  the 
society  of  the  small  number  of  friends  who  remained 
faithful  to  me.  Do  not  forget  your  friend j  tell  her 
sometimes  that  you  preserve  for  her  an  attachment 
which  constitutes  the  felicity  of  her  life  ;  often  repeat 
to  her  that  you  are  happy,  and  be  assured  that  for  her 
the  future  will  thus  be  peaceful,  as  the  past  has  been 
stormy — and  often  sad." 

The  too-devoted  Josephine  appeared  no  more  upon 
the  public  arena  ;  in  silence  and  seclusion  she  suft'ered 
a  few  years,  and  died  broken-hearted. 

Tt  was  not  this  sacrifice  alone  that  presaged  Xapoleon's 
fall ;  but  passing  by  France  and  Russia,  he  had  taken 


28fi  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

a  daughter  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg — a  tyrannical, 
faithless  race.  In  this,  while  securing  the  favor  of  the 
nobility  in  the  royal  scheme,  he  swept  away  the  last 
claim  to  sincerity  in  his  conflicts  for  ilie  lieople  against 
despotism.  The  niece  of  Maria  Antoinette,  whose 
blood  had  scarcely  faded  from  the  guillotine,  was 
Empress  of  France. 

Napoleon — who  had  overthrown  the  old  feudal  system, 
and  revolutionized  Europe, prepared  for  the  stupendous 
changes  by  the  corrupt  monarchies  of  the  past — failed 
to  redeem  his  pledge  of  regeneration  and  reconstruction 
of  half  a  continent  laid  at  his  feet.  "  He  married  the 
fresh,  the  genial,  the  immortal,  the  glorious,  the  newly- 
born  future,  which  all  coming  ages  will  claim,  to  the 
corrupt,  and  effete,  and  putrid  corpse  of  the  dark 
ages. " 

And  the  shock  he  had  given  to  his  sovereignty,  by 
the  imprisonment  of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  was  more 
widely  felt  than  was  apparent.  These  events  were 
followed  by  another  blow  upon  the  base  of  the  im- 
perial throne — startling  to  the  callous  and  iron-hearted 
monarch.  King  Louis  disregarded  the  rule  of  Napoleon, 
which  was,  to  make  "  the  first  object  of  his  care  the 
emperor,  the  second,  France,  and  the  third,  Holland," 
and  was  pliant  in  the  enforcement  of  the  Berlin  and 
Milan  decrees,  by  which  he  grew  in  popularity  with 
the  people.  He  was  rebuked  by  Na^ioleon,  and  hating 
the  restraint  upon  his  reign,  suddenly  abdicated  his 
throne,  and  retired  with  disgust  into  private  life,  at 
Gratz  in  Styria.  Holland  was  immediately  annexed  to 
the  empire  of  France.  The  Peninsular  war  continued  ; 
the  people  were  unsubdued,  except  by  the  force  of 
arms  ;  and  Joseph  was  still  the  weary,  powerless  repre- 
sentative of  a  king.  Amid  these  causes  of  irritation, 
»\liich  pointed  ominously    to    the   future,    Napoleon's 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  2S7 

heart    beat    jirouclly    Avitli    the   fruition   of   cherished 
hope. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1811,  his  wishes  were  crowned 
by  the  birth  of  a  son.  The  birth  Avas  a  difficult  one, 
and  the  nerves  of  the  medical  attendant  were  shaken. 
''She  is  but  a  woman,"  said  the  emperor,  who  was 
present,  "  treat  her  as  you  would  a  hourgeoise  of  the 
Rue  St.  Denis."  The  accoucher  at  a  subsequent 
moment  Avithdrew  Napoleon  from  the  couch,  and  de- 
manded whether,  in  case  one  life  must  be  sacrificed, 
he  should  save  the  mother's  or  the  child's.  '"'  The 
mother's,"  he  answered  :  *'  it  is  her  right  !  "  Atlengtli 
the  child  appeared,  butwitliout  any  sign  of  life.  After 
the  lapse  of  some  minutes  a  feeble  cry  was  heard,  and 
Xapoleon  entering  the  antechamber  in  which  the  high 
functionaries  of  the  state  were  assembled,  announced 
the  event  in  these  words  :    *'  It  is  a  king  of  Rome  ! " 

The  booming  of  cannon  announced  in  the  cajiital  the 
advent  of  an  heir  to  the  crown  of  Xapoleon  ;  and  the 
tidings  spread  over  the  realm,  accompanied  with  all  the 
demonstrationsof  enthusiasm  which  had  before  attended 
the  birth  of  a  dauphin.  The  Bourbons  and  their 
friends,  heard  in  the  shouts  of  joy,  the  knell  of  their 
hopes.  Murat  had  anticipated  an  independent  sover- 
eignty for  his  family  in  Xaples  ;  the  King  of  Prussia 
was  chafing  against  the  humbling  conditions  of  i^eace, 
ready  to  avenge  the  rifled  tomb  of  Frederic,  even  upon 
the  husband  of  an  Austrian  princess  ;  and  Russia  was 
preparing  again  for  war.  AVhen  Alexander  heard  of 
the  marriage  with  Maria  Louisa,  he  remarked,  *•  Then 
the  next  thing  will  be  to  drive  us  back  into  our  forests." 
The  "  Continental  System,"  as  the  blockade-j)olicy  was 
called,  increased  the  antagonism  of  Russia,  which, 
jealousy  of  Xapoleon's  greatness,  and  his  refusal  to  give 
desired  pledges  favoring  the  plans  of  extending  power. 


288  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

had  nourished.  And  the  union  with  the  House  of 
Austria  was  significant  of  resources  for  any  service  his 
absohxte  will  might  require.  Sweden  at  this  period,  to 
please  the  emperor,  and  enthrone  a  man  she  believed 
fit  to  be  a  king,  placed  Bernadotte  on  the  throne.  But 
with  the  appearance  of  fidelity  to  the  monarch  who 
raised  him  from  obscurity  to  fame,  he  soon  betrayed 
Napoleon,  and  became  his  open  enemy. 

Thus  environed  with  difficulties,  the  Emperor  of 
France  once  more  opened  negotiations  with  England 
for  peace.  He  desired  it,  doubtless  ;  he  would  avoid 
the  hazard  attending  another  general  conflict,  and  he 
preferred  to  develop  the  elements  of  prosperity  and 
glory  in  France.  The  decided,  stern  refusal  of  Eng- 
land to  recognize  Joseph  King  of  Spain,  closed  the 
correspondence,  and  sounded  afresh  the  tocsin  of  war. 
Eussia  was  plied  with  English  influence,  and  Alexan- 
der could  not  long  resist  the  jDressure  from  abroad  and 
his  nobles  at  home,  added  to  his  own  embarrassed 
schemes  of  empire. 

In  April,  1812,  Russia  declared  war.  In  doing  so, 
the  treaty  of  Tilsit  was  broken  with  faithless  contempt 
of  the  most  sacred  obligations,  and  the  signal  of  an- 
other combined  effort  to  crush  Napoleon  was  thrown 
out  upon  the  vast  horizon  of  the  empire  of  the  north. 

The  French  emperor  had  issued  conscriptions  ;  and 
from  Switzerland,  Italy,  Bavaria,  and  the  vine-clad 
hills  of  France,  the  battalions  came  pouring  into  the 
ranks  of  the  grand  army,  till  half  a  million  of  men 
were  ready  to  march  into  the  fearful  wastes  of  Russia, 
to  furnish  the  world  a  tragedy  of  war,  never  before  or 
since  recorded  in  history. 

The  prospective  cami)aign  was  too  daring  and  peril- 
ous not  to  awaken  fears  in  heroic  minds.  Talleyrand 
opposed  it ;  Foucho  drew  up  a  memorial  against  it. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  289 

and  called  the  emperors  attention  to  the  important 
crisis.  Napoleon  replied,  "  It  is  no  crisis  at  all,  but  a 
mere  war  of  politics.  Spain  falls  whenever  I  have 
destroyed  the  English  influence  at  St.  Petersburg. 
Did  not  you  yourself  once  tell  me  that  the  word  impos- 
sible is  not  French  ?  "  It  deserves  to  be  mentioned  that 
neither  this  statesman  nor  any  of  his  compeers,  ever 
even  alluded  to  the  injustice  of  making  war  on  Russia 
for  the  mere  gratification  of  ambition.  Their  argu- 
ments were  all  drawn  from  the  extent  of  Alexander's 
resources — his  four  hundred  thousand  regulars,  and 
his  fifty  thousand  Cossacks,  already  known  to  be  in 
arms,  and  the  enormous  population  on  which  he  had 
the  means  of  drawing  for  recruits ;  the  enthusiastic 
national  feeling  of  the  Muscovites  ;  the  distance  of 
their  country  ;  the  severity  of  their  climate ;  the  op- 
portunity which  such  a  war  would  afford  to  Englan'l 
of  urging  her  successes  in  Spain  ;  and  the  chance  of 
Germany  rising  in  insurrection  in  case  of  any  reverses  ! 

Cardinal  Fesch,  who  grieved  at  the  arrest  of  the 
Pope,  looked  with  alarm  on  this  expedition,  as  an  in- 
sane measure  to  secure  the  vengeance  of  Heaven.  He 
entreated  Napoleon  not  *'to  provoke  at  once  the  wrath 
of  man  and  the  fury  of  the  elements."  The  emperor 
drew  the  cardinal  to  the  window,  and  pointing  up- 
ward, exclaimed  "Do  you  see  yonder  star?"  ''No, 
sire,*' replied  the  cardinal.  *'But  I  see  it,'*  answered 
Napoleon  ;  and  abruptly  dismissed  him. 

May  9th,  Bonaparte  left  Paris  with  the  empress,  and 
with  triumphal  splendor,  followed  by  the  shouts  of  the 
people,  reached  Dresden,  the  capital  of  Saxony. 

Here  he  gathered  about  him  the  kings  of  Prussia, 

Naples,  Wirtemberg,  and  Westphalia  ;  and  he  sat  in 

the  palace  of  another,  more  like  the  monarch  among 

courtiers,  than  the  royal  general  on  his  way  to  fresh 

19 


290  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  wasting  conflicts  with  the  lauded  sovereign  of  the 
earth's  proudest  realms.  The  population  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  thronged  the  streets,  and  surged 
like  waves  of  the  sea,  against  the  palace  walls,  to  see  the 
man  before  whose  greatness  the  rulers  of  the  world 
were  dwarfed  to  common  men.  Napoleon  was  confi- 
dent of  success  ;  the  word  desfiiri/  rang  in  the  cham- 
bers of  thought  like  a  trumpet-call  to  the  conquest  of 
Europe. 

May  28th,  leaving  Dresden,  and  parting  with  Maria 
Louisa  at  Prague,  he  pressed  on  to  Dantzic,  which  was 
governed  by  General  Eapjo,  a  favorite  with  Napoleon. 
This  officer,  Murat,  and  Berth ier,  confessed  to  the  em- 
peror their  reluctance  to  engage  in  the  perilous  uncer- 
tainty of  the  Russian  campaign. 

June  22d  Napoleon  issued  the  following  bulletin  : 

"  Soldiers  !  Eussia  is  dragged  on  by  her  fate  :  her 
destiny  must  be  accomplished.  Let  us  march  :  let  us 
cross  the  Niemen  :  let  us  carry  war  into  her  territories. 
Our  second  campaign  of  Poland  will  be  as  glorious  as 
our  first :  but  our  second  peace  shall  carry  with  it  its 
own  guaranty  :  it  shall  put  an  end  forever  to  that 
haughty  influence  which  Russia  has  exercised  for  fifty 
years  on  tlie  affairs  of  Europe."  The  address,  in 
which  the  czar  announced  the  terminations  of  his  ne- 
gotiations, invoked  the  aid  of  Almighty  Providence  as 
''  the  witness  and  the  defender  of  the  true  cause  ; " 
and  concluded  in  these  words — "  Soldiers,  you  fight 
for  your  religion,  your  liberty,  and  your  native  land. 
Your  emperor  is  among  you,  and  God  is  the  enemy  of 
tlie  aggressor." 

From  Dantzic,  on  the  11th  of  June,  Napoleon  ad- 
vanced to  Konigsberg,  where  immense  stores  were 
collected  for  the  long  march  into  Russian  forests,  and 
over  desert  wastes.     The  divisions  of  the  grand  army 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  291 

were  commanded  by  Davonst,  Ondinot,  Ney,  Eugene, 
Poinatowski,  St.  C3'r,  Regnier,  Jerome,  Victor,  Mac- 
donald,  Augereau,  Murat,  and  Schwartzenberg.  Mar- 
shals Mortier,  Lefebre,  and  Bessieres  led  the  imperial 
guard.  This  splendid  cavalcade,  Avhich  Xajioleon 
reviewed  on  the  battle-plain  of  Friedland,  with  all  the 
equipments  of  siege  and  difficult  marches,  reached, 
the  last  of  June,  the  banks  of  the  rushing  Niemen,  be- 
neath the  dark  shadow  of  the  silent  wilderness. 

It  was  on  the  24th,  that  the  host  began  to  cross,  in 
three  great  caravans  at  as  many  different  points,  the 
bridges  they  had  built ;  the  river  reflecting  the  glitter- 
ing weapons  and  nodding  plumes,  as  for  two  days  and 
nights  they  moved  forward  under  the  eye  of  Napo- 
leon. While  reconnoitering  the  banks  at  Kowno,  his 
horse  stumbled  and  fell.  "  A  bad  omen — a  Roman 
Avould  return,"  he  exclaimed. 

Over  the  plains  of  Lithuania,  the  battalions  ad- 
vanced without  opposition  from  the  enemy,  towards 
Wilna,  the  capital  of  Russian  Poland  ;  it  was  evacu- 
ated at  their  approach.  Here  Xapoleon  rested  on  the 
28th  of  June  ;  but  the  magazines  which  he  anticipated 
had  been  consumed — a  prelude  to  the  greater  confla- 
gration, whose  flames  would  prove  the  funeral-torch  of 
desolation  wherever  they  retired  ;  every  village  was 
burned  ere  they  quitted  it ;  the  enthusiastic  peasantry 
withdrew  with  the  army,  and  swelled  its  ranks. 

The  brave  Poles  rallied  around  the  emperor,  and 
petitioned  him  to  restore  to  them  their  nationality, 
furnishing  as  an  expression  of  confidence  and  hope, 
eighty-five  thousand  troops  to  join  the  desperate  cam- 
paign against  their  gigantic  and  cruel  foe.  But  Xa- 
poleon's  refusal  to  meet  the  demand  of  Russia,  "  that 
the  kingdom  of  Poland  should  never  be  established, 
and  that  her  name  be  effaced  forever  from  every  public 


202     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  official  act,"  was  no  mean  cause  of  hostilities,  while 
Austria  and  Prussia  were  too  deeply  involved  in  the 
piratical  possession,  to  make  the  intervention  desirable. 
lie  accepted  the  heroic  men,  yet  struck  no  blow  for 
Polish  freedom.  There  is  an  apology  in  the  complica- 
tion of  affairs,  and  still  is  it  true,  that  the  emperor 
never  periled  an  iota  of  power,  or  swerved  from  his  sin- 
gle object  of  attaining  a  higher  summit  of  glory,  by  the 
rescue  or  protection  of  a  dependent  nation.  It  was  ne- 
cessity or  ambitious  clioice  that  guided  his  interposi- 
tion whenever  given  to  the  kingdoms  and  colonies  for 
which  despots  contended. 

He  remained  three  weeks  at  Wilna,  detained  by  the 
slowness  of  the  arrival  or  the  impromptitude  of  his 
commissariat  ;  a  jiause  Alexander  with  energy  im- 
proved. A  million  of  soldiers  inured  to  the  rigors  of  a 
polar  winter,  swarmed  to  the  standard  of  the  autocrat. 
Moscow  offered  eighty  thousand  men  ;  the  Grand  Duch- 
ess of  Kussia,  whose  rival  was  ]\[aria  Louisa,  equipped 
a  regiment  on  her  own  estate  ;  and  the  Cossack-chief 
Platoff  bid  for  Napoleon's  life,  with  the  premium  of  his 
only  daughter,  and  a  dower  of  200,000  rubles. 

"  The  Russian  plan  of  defense  was  already  ascertained, 
and  alarming.  The  country  was  laid  utterly  desolate 
wherever  they  retired  ;  every  village  was  burned  ere  they 
quitted  it ;  the  enthusiastic  peasantry  withdrew  with 
the  army,  and  swelled  its  ranks." 

"With  these  scenes  of  conflagration  hourly  occurring, 
and  bloody  battles  between,  the  French  legions  hast- 
ened toward  Moscow. 

*' On  the  5th  of  September,  Napoleon  came  in  sight 
of  the  position  of  Kutusoff,  and  succeeded  i)i  carrying 
a  redoubt  in  front  of  it.  All  the  6th  the  two  armies 
lay  in  presence  of  each  other,  preparing  for  the  con- 
test.    The  Russians  were  posted  on  an  elevated  j)lain  ; 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  ^93 

having  a  ■wood  011  their  right  flank,  their  left  on  one 
of  the  villages,  and  a  deep  ravine,  the  bed  of  a  small 
stream,  in  their  front.  Extensive  field-works  covered 
every  more  accessible  point  of  this  naturally  very  strong 
gronnd  ;  and  in  the  center  of  the  whole  line,  a  gentle 
eminence  was  crowned  by  an  enormous  battery,  serving 
as  a  species  of  citadel.  The  Russian  army  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  in  number  ;  nor  had 
Napoleon  a  greater  force  in  readiness  for  his  attack. 
In  artillery  also  the  armies  were  equal.  It  is  supposed 
that  each  had  five  hundred  guns  in  the  field. 

**  To  his  sanguinary  troops  Xapoleon  said,  '  Soldiers  ! 
here  is  the  battle  you  have  longed  for;  it  is  necessary, 
for  it  brings  ns  plenty — good  winter  quarters,  and  a 
safe  return  to  our  country.  Behave  yourselves  so  that 
posterity  may  say  of  each  of  you,  He  was  in  that  great 
conflict  beneath  the  walls  of  Moscow.'" 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  French 
advanced  under  cover  of  a  thick  fog,  and  assaulted  at 
once  the  center,  the  right,  and  the  left  of  the  position. 
Such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge  that  they  drove 
the  Eussians  from  their  redoubts  ;  but  this  was  but  for 
a  moment.  They  rallied  under  the  very  line  of  their 
enemy's  fire,  and  instantly  readvanced.  Peasants  who, 
till  that  hour,  had  never  seen  war,  and  still  wore  their 
rustic  dress,  distinguished  only  by  the  cross  sewed  on 
it  in  front,  threw  themselves  into  the  thickest  of  the 
combat.  As  they  fell,  others  rushed  on  and  filled  their 
places.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  obstinacy  of 
the  contest  from  the  fact,  that  of  one  division  of  the 
Eussians  which  mustered  thirty  thousand  in  the  morn- 
ing, only  eight  thousand  survived.  These  men  had 
fought  in  close  order  and  unshaken,  under  the  fire  of 
eighty  pieces  of  artillery.  The  result  of  this  terrible 
day  was,  that  Bonaparte  withdrew  his  troops  and  aban- 


294  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BON  APATITE. 

doned  all  hope  of  forcing  liis  way  tlirongh  tlie  Russians. 
In  no  contest  by  many  degrees  so  desperate  had  he 
hitherto  been  engaged.  Night  found  either  army  on 
the  ground  they  had  occupied  at  daybreak.  The  num- 
ber of  guns  and  prisoners  taken  by  the  French  and  the 
Russians  was  about  equal  ;  and  of  either  host  there  had 
fallen  no  less  than  forty  thousand  men.  Some  accounts 
raise  the  gross  number  of  the  slain  to  one  hundred  thou- 
sand. Such  was  the  victory  in  honor  of  which  Napo- 
leon created  Marshal  Ney  Prince  of  Mo  slew  a. 

Bonaparte,  when  advised  by  his  generals,  toward 
the  conclusion  of  the  day,  to  bring  forward  his  own 
guard  and  hazard  one  final  attack  at  their  head,  an- 
swered, "  And  if  my  guard  fail,  what  means  should  I 
have  for  renewing  the  battle  to-morrow  ?  "  The  Rus- 
sian commander,  on  the  other  hand,  spared  nothing 
to  prolong  the  contest.  During  the  night  after,  his 
cavalry  made  several  attempts  to  break  into  the  enemy's 
lines ;  and  it  was  only  on  receiving  the  reports  of 
his  regimental  officers  in  the  morning,  that  Kntusoff 
I^erceived  the  necessity  of  retiring  until  he  should 
be  further  recruited.  His  army  was  the  mainstay  of 
his  country  ;  on  its  utter  dissolution,  his  master  miglit 
have  found  it  very  difficult  to  form  another  ;  but 
while  it  remained  perfect  in  its  organization,  the  pa- 
triotic population  of  the  empire  were  sure  to  fill  up 
readily  every  vacancy  in  its  rank.  Having  ascertained 
then  the  extent  of  his  loss,  and  buried  his  dead  (among 
whom  was  the  gallant  Bagratiiion)  with  great  solem- 
nity— the  Russian  slowly  and  calmly  withdrew  from  his 
intrenchments,  aiul  marched  on  Mojaisk.  Napoleon 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  be  joined  exactly  at  this  time  by 
two  fresh  divisions  from  Smolensko,  which  nearly  re- 
stored his  muster  to  what  it  had  been  ere  the  battle  be- 
gan ;  and,  thus  reinforced,  commanded  the  pursuit  to 


T.IFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  295 

be  vigorously  urged.  Ou  the  9th,  the  French  van 
came  in  sight  of  the  Eussian  rear  again,  and  Bonaparte 
prepared  for  battle.  But  next  morning  Kutusotf  had 
masked  his  march  so  effectually,  by  scattering  clouds 
of  Cossacks  in  every  direction  around  the  French,  that 
down  to  the  12th  the  invader  remained  uncertain 
whether  he  had  retreated  on  Kalouga,  or  directly  to  the 
capital.  The  latter  he,  at  length,  found  to  be  the  case  ; 
and  on  the  4th  of  September  Napoleon  reached  the  Hill 
of  Salvation  ;  so  named  because  from  that  eminence 
the  Eussian  traveler  obtains  his  first  view  of  the  ancient 
metropolis,  affectionately  called  "  Mother  Moscow," 
and  hardly  less  sacred  in  his  eye  than  Jerusalem.  The 
soldiery  beheld  with  joy  and  exultation  the  magnificent 
extent  of  the  place  ;  its  mixture  of  Grothic  steeples  and 
oriental  domes  ;  the  vast  and  splendid  mansions  of  the 
haughty  boyards,  embosomed  in  trees  ;  and,  high  over 
all  the  rest,  the  huge  towers  of  the  Kremlin,  at  once 
the  palace  and  the  citadel  of  the  old  czars.  The  cry 
of  "  Moscow  !  Moscow  ! "  ran  through  the  lines.  Xa- 
poleon  himself  reined  in  his  horse  and  exclaimed, 
"  Behold  at  last  that  celebrated  city  !  "  He  added, 
after  a  brief  pause,  ''It  was  time." 

Bonaparte  had  not  gazed  long  on  this  great  capital 
ere  it  struck  him  as  something  remarkable  that  no 
smoke  issued  from  the  chimneys.  Neither  appeared 
there  any  military  on  the  battlements  of  the  old  walls 
and  towers.  There  reached  him  neither  message  of 
defiance,  nor  any  deputation  of  citizens  to  present  the 
keys  of  their  town,  and  recommend  it  and  themselves 
to  his  protection.  He  was  yet  marveling  what  these 
strange  circumstances  could  mean,  when  Murat,  who 
commanded  in  the  van,  and  had  pushed  on  to  the 
gates,  came  back  and  informed  him  that  he  had  held  a 
parley  with  Miarodowitch,  the  general  of  the  Russian 


296  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

rear-guard,  and  tliat,  unless  two  hours  were  granted 
for  the  safe  witlidrawing  of  his  troops,  he  would  at 
once  set  fire  to  Moscow.  Napoleon  immediately 
granted  the  armistice.  The  two  hours  elapsed,  and 
still  no  procession  of  nobles  or  magistrates  made  its 
appearance. 

On  entering  the  city  the  French  found  it  deserted 
by  all  but  the  very  lowest  and  most  wretched  of  its 
vast  population.  They  soon  spread  themselves  over 
its  innumerable  streets,  and  commenced  the  work  of 
pillage.  The  magnificent  palaces  of  the  Russian  boy- 
ards,  the  bazaars  of  the  merchants,  churches,  and  con- 
vents, and  public  buildings  of  every  description, 
swarmed  with  their  numbers.  The  meanest  soldier 
clothed  himself  in  silk  and  furs,  and  drank  at  his 
pleasure  the  costliest  wines.  Napoleon,  perplexed  at 
the  abandonment  of  so  great  a  city,  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  together  thirty  thousand  men,  who 
followed  Miarodowitch,  and  watched  the  walls  on  that 
side. 

The  emperor,  who  had  retired  to  rest  in  a  suburban 
palace,  was  awakened  at  midnight  by  the  cry  of  fire. 
The  chief  market-place  was  in  flames  ;  and  some  hours 
elapsed  ere  they  could  be  extinguished  by  the  exertions 
of  the  soldiery.  While  the  fire  still  blazed.  Napoleon 
established  his  headquarters  in  the  Kremlin,*  and 
wrote,  by  that  fatal  light,  a  letter  to  the  czar,  contain- 
ing proposals  for  peace.  The  letter  was  committed  to 
a  prisoner  of  rank  ;  no  answer  ever  reached  Bona- 
parte. 

Next  morning  found  the  fire  extinguished,  and  the 
French  officers  were  busied  throughout  the  day  in  se- 
lecting houses  for  their  residence.     The  flames,  how- 

*  An  extensive  fortress,  iuoluding  a  palace  aud  several  churches  and 
convents. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  297 

ever,  burst  out  again  as  night  set  in,  and  under  cir- 
cumstances which  might  well  fill  the  minds  of  the 
invaders  with  astonishment  and  with  alarm.  Various 
detached  parts  of  the  city  appeared  to  be  at  once  on 
fire ;  combustibles  and  matches  were  discovered  in 
different  places  as  if  laid  deliberately  ;  the  water  pipes 
were  cut :  the  wind  changed  three  times  in  the  course 
of  the  night,  and  the  flames  always  broke  out  again 
with  new  vigor  in  the  quarter  from  which  the  prevail- 
ing breeze  blew  right  on  the  Kremlin.  It  was  suffi- 
ciently plain  that  Rostopcein,  governor  of  Moscow, 
had  adopted  the  same  plan  of  resistance  in  which 
Smolensko  had  already  been  sacrificed  ;  and  his  agents, 
whenever  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  were 
massacred  without  mercy. 

The  efforts  to  stop  the  flames  were  all  in  vain,  and 
it  was  not  long  ere  a  raging  fire  swept  the  capital 
east,  west,  north,  and  south.  During  four  days  the 
conflagration  continued,  and  four-fifths  of  the  city 
were  wholly  consumed.  "  Palaces  and  temples,'  says 
the  Russian  author,  Karamsin,  "  monuments  of  art  and 
miracles  of  luxury,  the  remains  of  ages  long  since  past, 
and  the  creations  of  yesterday,  the  tombs  of  ancestors, 
and  the  cradles  of  children,  were  indiscriminately  des- 
troyed. Nothing  was  left  of  Moscow  save  the  memory 
of  her  2)eople,  and  their  deep  resolution  to  avenge  her 
fall." 

During  two  days  Napoleon  witnessed  from  the  Krem- 
lin the  spread  of  this  fearful  devastation,  and,  in  spite 
of  continual  showers  of  sparks  and  brands,  refused  to 
listen  to  those  who  counseled  retreat.  On  the  third 
night,  the  equinoctial  gale  rose,  the  Kremlin  itself 
took  fire,  and  it  became  doul^tful  whether  it  would  be 
possible  for  him  to  withdraw  in  safety  ;  and  then  he  at 
length  rode  out  of  Moscow,  through  streets  in  many 


298  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

parts  arched  over  with  flames,  and  buried,,  where  tliis 
was  not  the  case,  iu  one  dense  mantle  of  smoke. 
"  These  are,  indeed,  Scythians,"  said  Napoleon.  He 
halted,  and  fixed  his  headquarters  at  Petrowsky,  a 
country  palace  of  the  czar,  about  a  league  distant. 
But  he  could  not  withdraw  his  eyes  from  the  rueful 
spectacle  which  the  burning  city  presented,  and  from 
time  to  time  repeated  the  same  words  :  "  This  bodes 
great  misfortune. '* 

Napoleon  again  reoccupied  the  Kremlin,  around 
which  lay  in  smoldering  heaps  the  fairest  portion  of 
the  city,  on  the  20th,  when  the  conflagration  had  s^jent 
its  fury.  With  characteristic  levity,  the  French  troops 
opened  a  theater,  whose  applauded  actors  were  sent 
from  Paris  by  the  order  of  Napoleon. 

The  silence  of  Alexander  began  to  awaken  the  pre- 
sentiment of  still  more  serious  events.  The  successes 
of  the  Russian  forces  in  the  battles  witli  their  enemy 
on  the  south,  threatened  to  cut  off  communications 
with  the  magazines  iu  Poland.  But  the  resistless  foe, 
whose  power  the  emperor  feared,  was  advancing  njion 
him.  Wmter,  with  its  northern  severity  and  dismal 
length,  was  at  hand.  A  second  letter  to  the  autocrat, 
was  despatched,  with  joroposals  of  peace. 

Count  Lauriston  presented  himself  to  Kutusoff  at 
his  headquarters,  early  in  October,  but  was  refused  a 
passport.  Kutusoff  denied  the  right  to  give  one,  but 
offered  to  transmit  the  letter  to  St.  Petersburg.  It 
drew  forth  no  reply.  Autumn  scattered  the  sere 
leaves  ;  and  to  the  dismay  of  Napoleon,  October  13th, 
three  weeks  earlier  than  at  any  recorded  period  before, 
the  snow  shrouded  the  landscape,  and  fringed  the 
blackened  walls  of  abandoned  cities.  Ui)on  the  18th, 
in  a  sanguinary  conflict  at  Vincovo  betueen  Bennig- 
sen  and  Murat,  the  French  sustained  an  immense  loss. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  299 

This  liastened  the  evacuation  of  Moscow,  whicli  the 
emperor  had  seen  to  be  inevitable.  The  immense  host 
poured  through  the  gates  into  the  merciless  embrace 
of  the  destroying  elements.  Mortier  lingered  with 
3,000  men,  to  guard  the  retreat,  and  blow  up  as  the 
farewell  peal  of  war's  infernal  thunder,  the  massive 
walls  of  the  Kremlin. 

Desprez,  Joseph  Bonaparte's  aide-de-camp,  visited 
Napoleon  just  before  the  evacuation,  with  despatches 
from  the  King  of  Spain,  presenting  to  the  emperor  his 
declining  power  in  the  Peninsula.  Desprez,  upon  his 
return  to  Paris,  wrote  to  his  sovereign,  the  displeasure 
of  the  emperor  regarding  his  management  of  the  war, 
and  gave  the  following  account  of  the  grand  army  at 
Moscow : 

*'The  army,  when  I  quitted  it,  was  in  the  most  hor- 
rible misery.  For  a  long  while  previously  the  disorder 
and  losses  had  been  frightful ;  the  artillery  and  cavalry 
had  ceased  to  exist.  The  different  regiments  were  all 
mixed  together ;  the  soldiers  marched  pell-mell,  and 
sought  only  how  to  prolong  mechanically  their  exist- 
ence. Although  the  enemy  was  on  all  sides  of  us,  tlioii- 
sands  of  men  strayed  every  day  into  the  neighboring- 
villages,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Cossacks. 
Xevertheless,  large  as  is  the  number  of  prisoners,  that 
of  the  dead  exceeds  it.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  tiio 
famine  ;  during  more  than  a  month  there  were  no  ra- 
tions ;  dead  horses  were  the  only  resource,  and  even 
the  marshals  were  frequently  in  want  of  bread.  The 
severit}^  of  the  climate  rendered  hunger  more  fatal  ; 
every  night  we  left  at  the  bivouac  several  hundred 
corpses.  I  think  that  I  may,  without  exaggeration, 
estimate  those  who  have  been  lost  in  this  manner  at  one 
hundred  thousand — the  truth  is  best  expressed  by  say- 
ing that  the  army  is  dead.     The  young  guard,  which 


300  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

formed  part  of  the  corps  to  which  I  was  attached,  was 
eight  thousand  strong  when  we  left  Moscow  ;  at  Wilna 
it  scarcely  numbered  four  hundred.  All  the  other 
corps  are  reduced  in  the  same  proportion  ;  and  as  the 
flight  did  not  end  at  the  Niemen,  I  am  persuaded  that 
not  twenty  thousand  men  reached  the  Vistula.  It  was 
believed  in  the  army  that  a  great  many  soldiers  were 
on  in  front,  who  would  rally  when  it  was  possible  to 
suspend  the  retreat.  I  convinced  myself  of  the  con- 
trary ;  at  five  leagues  from  headquarters  I  met  no  more 
stragglers,  and  I  was  then  aware  of  the  extent  of  the 
calamity. 

"  A  single  fact  may  give  your  majesty  an  idea  of  the 
state  of  things.  Since  crossing  the  Niemen  a  corps  of 
eight  hundred  Neapolitans,  the  only  corps  which  has 
preserved  any  sort  of  order,  formed  the  rear-guard  of  a 
French  army  the  strength  of  which  once  amounted  to 
three  hundred  thousand  men.  It  is  impossible  to  say 
how  contagious  was  the  disorder :  the  corps  of  the 
Dukes  of  Belluno  and  Reggio  amounted  together  to 
thirty  thousand  men  when  they  crossed  the  Beresina ; 
two  days  afterward  they  had  melted  away  like  the  rest 
of  the  army.  Sending  reinforcements  only  increased 
the  losses,  and  at  last  we  became  aware  that  fresh  troops 
must  not  be  allowed  to  come  in  contact  with  a  disor- 
derly multitude  which  could  no  longer  be  called  an 
army.  The  King  of  Naples  declared  that,  in  delegating 
the  command  to  hira,  the  emperor  exacted  the  greatest 
possible  proof  of  his  devotion.  Both  the  moral  and 
physical  strength  of  the  Prince  of  Neufchatel  were  com- 
pletely exhausted.  If  your  majesty  were  now  to  ask 
me  when  the  retreat  is  to  end,  I  can  say  only  that  it 
depends  on  the  enemy.  I  do  not  think  Prussia  will 
make  much  effort  to  defend  her  territory.  M.  de  Nar- 
bonno,  whom  I  saw  at  Berlin,  and  who  was  the  bearer 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  301 

of  letters  from  the  emperor  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  told 
me  that  both  the  king  and  liis  prime  minister  were 
favorably  disposed,  but  that  he  was  aware  that  the  feel- 
ing of  the  nation  was  different.  Already  several  brawls 
had  taken  place  between  the  citizens  of  Berlin  and  the 
soldiers  of  the  French  garrison  ;  and  when  I  passed 
through  Prussia,  I  had  opportunities  of  convincing 
myself  that  no  trust  could  be  placed  in  our  recent  ally. 

"It  seems  also  that  in  the  Austrian  army  the  officers 
declaim  openly  against  the  war. 

''  Sad  as  this  picture  is,  I  believe  it  to  be  painted 
without  exaggeration,  and  that  my  observations  have 
been  made  with  impartiality.  My  estimate  of  the  ex- 
tent of  the  evil  is  the  same  now  as  it  was  when  I  was 
nearer  to  the  scene  of  action." 

Napoleon  marched  with  his  wasting  battalions  by  a 
new  route  toward  Smolensk.  The  Cossacks  made  fear- 
ful havoc  with  the  scattered  companies,  cutting  them 
down,  plundering,  and  then  on  their  fleet  horses  retir- 
ing to  their  forest-lair.  When  he  passed  the  Souja, 
the  emperor  came  near  falling  into  their  hands  ;  but  in 
their  lust  for  spoil,  they  overlooked  the  defiant,  weary 
leader  in  this  terrible  march  of  death.  October  23d, 
he  rested  at  Borousk,  sixty  miles  from  Moscow.  A  few 
miles  farther  on  lay  Eugene's  force  of  eighteen  thou- 
sand troops.  Before  dawn  of  the  next  day  the  Russians 
fell  upon  him,  and  after  a  bloody  struggle  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  field.  Napoleon  embraced  Eugene, 
and  exclaimed,  ''This  is  the  most  glorious  of  your 
feats  of  arms." 

Learning  here  that  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
Eussians,  strongly  intrenched,  crossed  his  path,  he 
called  a  council  of  war.  He  decided,  with  bitter  dis- 
appointment, to  abandon  the  attempt  to  press  through 
the  defiles  of  Kalouga,  and  retire  to  the  *'  war-scathed 


302  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

road  "  in  which  he  came  so  proudly  to  the  fatal  plains 
of  the  north.  The  Russian  army,  ignorant  of  the 
movement,  and  alarmed  by  the  victory  of  Eugene,  also 
began  a  retreat  ;  the  two  armies  thus  flying  from  each 
other,  but  neither  awn  re  of  the  advaritage  given.  For 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Napoleon  had  but  two 
points  at  which  repose  and  supplies  could  be  obtained. 
Upon  this  awful  march — this  ''Iliad  of  Avoes  " — the 
great  captain,  and  peerless  monarch,  sadly,  dcspond- 
iiigly  entered. 

It  was  on  the  2Gth,  that  the  march  commenced,  and 
on  the  28th  the  army  passed  over  the  field  of  Boro- 
dino. The  unburied,  decaying  dead,  half-eaten  by 
the  wolves,  made  the  living  soldier  pass  with  averted 
face  to  his  own  fate — mortal  agony  on  the  spear-point 
of  the  Cossack,  or  the  lethargy  which  has  no  waking. 
Three  hundred  miles  were  traversed  in  ten  days  ;  and 
yet  onward,  between  the  Russian  columns  watching 
their  jorogress — followed  by  the  dashing,  savage  hordes 
of  Platofl' — and  the  hunger-maddened  wolves,  the 
struggling  columns  moved.  With  November  came 
the  settled  gloom  and  unalleviated  cold  of  a  Russian 
Avinter.  Storms  howled  around  the  thinning  ranks  of 
the  grand  cavalcade,  and  the  angry  sky  grew  dark 
above  them.  They  fell  in  battalions  to  rise  no  more 
till  the  resurrection  morning.  The  brave,  indomi- 
table, chivalrous  Ney,  protected  this  retreat  of  the  im- 
perial army  ;  and  his  marvelous  skill,  his  endurance 
and  courage,  elevated  his  rank  in  the  admiration  of 
the  world,  nearer  his  commander,  than  that  of  any 
oilier  man  in  the  constellation  of  noble  marshals  who 
waited  on  Napoleon. 

November  9th,  the  emperor  was  before  Smolensk. 
Instead  of  the  promised  and  expected  supplies  for  his 
soldiers,  there  was  nothing  but  brandy — the  direst  foe 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAKTE.  303 

of  the  hungry  and  benumbed  soldiers.  They  drank 
and  died  in  groups  along  the  icy  streets.  Since  the 
(h'parture  from  Moscow,  eighty  thousand  men  had 
fallen,  and  no  more  than  forty  thousand  could  now  enter 
tlie  battle-field,  were  the  opposing  armies  to  meet. 

A  messenger  had  reached  Napoleon  with  intelligence 
Avhich  increased  his  fears,  and  his  desire  to  be  in  the 
capital  of  France.  Mullet,  an  officer,  forged  a  report 
of  the  emperor's  death,  and  gathered  to  his  standard, 
in  the  excitement  which  followed,  a  part  of  the  national 
guard.  He  was  arrested  and  shot.  But  the  con- 
spiracy revealed  to  Napoleon  the  frail  tenure  of  his 
regal  authority,  and  how  little  a  son  might  have  to  do 
Avith  the  continuance  of  his  dynasty. 

Five  days  were  passed  in  Smolensk,  receiving  des- 
patches, and  preparing  for  the  final  effort  to  reach  tiie 
boundaries  of  friendly  territory. 

j\Iurat,  Eugene,  Davoust,  and  Key  commanded  the 
divisions  of  an  army,  reduced  to  less  than  one  tenth 
of  its  original  numbers.  Kutusoff  with  more  than 
double  the  force,  hung  along  his  track,  in  a  joarallel  line 
of  march. 

At  length  he  advanced  and  crossed  the  path  of  his 
enemy.  A  battle  followed,  and  tlirough  wasting  car- 
nage the  first  division  cut  its  Avay.  Eugene's  battal- 
ions followed,  and  met  t!ie  same  wall  of  bristling 
bayonets  and  batteries.  But  the  columns  moved  on, 
and  were  mowed  down  in  ranks,  till  only  a  remnant 
escaped.  This  band  had  no  other  hoj^e,  but  to  leave 
their  camp-fires  burning,  and  creep  around  the  impreg- 
nable position.  A  Russian  sentinel  saw  a  company  of 
them  and  gave  the  challenge  ;  but  a  Pole  answered  in 
the  national  dialect,  and  all  was  silent.  The  deception 
saved  the  brave  four  thousand  under  Bcauharnais. 
Davoust   and    Mortier,  were   at  Krasnoi,  holding  the 


304  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

enemy  back,  if  possible,  till  Xey  could  join  them. 
This  splendid  officer  who  led  the  reiir-guard,  found  at 
Smolensk  the  heaps  of  the  dead,  assuring  him  of  ac- 
cumulating disasters  upon  the  advanced  divisions  of 
the  army.  The  opposition  to  his  progress  was  incon- 
siderable, till  he  reached  the  ravine  of  Sormina,  over 
Avhich  hung  a  curtain  of  heavy  mist,  and  obscured  the 
masses  of  Russian  troops,  and  the  frowning  batteries 
which  lay  beyond.  He  was  in  the  resistless  grasp  of 
the  foe. 

A  Russian  officer  summoned  ISTey  to  surrender.  ''A 
marshal  of  France  never  surrenders,"  was  the  heroic 
answer ;  and  instantly  the  artillery,  distant  only  two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  poured  its  storm  of  grape 
shot  into  his  ranks.  Ney  plunged  into  the  ravine, 
crossed  the  stream,  and  charged  the  astonished  legions 
at  the  cannon's  mouth.  He  was  beaten  back  by  the 
merciless  fire,  and  still  held  his  original  position  under 
the  very  shadow  of  the  grim  batteries  through  which 
not  a  man  could  pass  alive.  Napoleon,  meanwhile,  was 
deejily  anxious  for  the  fate  of  his  favorite  marshal. 
He  exjiressed  the  intensest  interest,  and  waited  in  sus- 
pense to  catch  some  tidings  of  his  safety  or  death. 
The  night  after  the  combat,  Ney  deserted  his  camp  at 
midnight,  and  retraced  his  steps,  till  he  came  to  a  small 
stream,  which,  he  told  his  men,  must  enter  into  the 
Dnieper.  On  through  the  untraveled,  liowling  wil- 
derness— through  snow,  and  across  icy  j^lains — the  in- 
trepid marshal  led  his  brave  band.  He  was  not  mis- 
taken in  his  plan  ;  ho  came  upon  the  great  river  which 
he  sought,  and  found  a  surface  of  ice,  which  swayed 
and  cracked  beneath  his  feet.  The  soldiers  in  single 
file  passed  over  ;  but  the  wagons  laden  with  the 
wounded  and  the  ordnance,  crushed  the  frail  l)ri(lge, 
and  went  down  into  the  cold  waters,  sending  upward 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  305 

to  the  gloomy  heavens,  a  shriek  of  wild  and  bitter 
agony.  The  Cossacks  were  also  upon  them.  Ney 
sent  to  Napoleon  at  Orcha  for  assistance.  Upon  hear- 
ing the  intelligence,  the  emperor  sprang  toward  the 
messenger,  and  exclaimed  :  "Is  that  really  true  ?  Are 
yon  sure  of  it  ?  I  have  two  hundred  millions  of  gold 
in  my  vaults  at  the  Tuilleries  ;  I  would  give  them  all 
to  save  Marshal  Xey."  Eugene  went  to  the  rescue, 
and  in  a  few  hours,  the  remnants  of  the  grand  divi- 
sions of  the  imperial  army,  reduced  since  leaving 
Smolensk  from  forty  thousand  to  twelve  thousand 
men,  met  with  mournful  joy  at  Orcha.  There  were 
but  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  cavalry,  and  to 
remedy  the  deficiency,  five  hundred  officers  still  pos- 
sessing horses  were  formed  "into  a  sacred  band,"' to 
guard  the  person  of  Xapoleon.  The  Dnieper  was 
crossed,  but  tidings  of  additional  disaster  reached  him. 
Minsk  had  fallen ;  another  oasis  in  the  desert  was 
wiped  out  by  the  legions  of  Eussia.  A  new  line  of 
march  into  Poland,  was  chosen,  north  of  the  ruined 
town,  and  haste  was  demanded,  to  escape  the  success- 
ful Witgenstein  on  the  right  flank,  and  Tchichagoff  on 
his  left.  The  Beresina  was  to  be  the  next  cold  and 
rushing  stream,  whose  passage  would  be  disputed  by 
the  unwasted  columns  of  Alexander.  The  point  of 
transit  selected  by  Xapoleon  was  Borizolf,  when  he 
heard  that  Dambrouski  who  commanded  there  had 
been  defeated  by  "Witgenstein,  and  abandoned  the 
position.  He  then  advanced  farther  up,  to  Stud- 
zianska. 

"  His  twelve  thousand  men,  brave  and  determined, 
but  no  longer  preserving  in  their  dress,  nor  unless  when 
the  trumpet  blew,  in  their  demeanor,  a  soldier-like  ap- 
pearance, were  winding  their  way  amid  these  dark  woods, 
when   suddenly  the  air  around  them  was  filled  with 


30(3  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

sounds  which  could  only  proceed  from  the  march  of 
some  far  greater  host.  They  were  preparing  for  the 
worst,  when  they  found  themselves  in  presence  of  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  united  army  of  Victor  and  Oudi- 
not,  who  had  indeed  been  defeated  by  Witgenstein,  but 
still  mustered  fifty  thousand  men,  completely  equipped, 
and  hardly  shaken  in  discipline.  With  what  feelings 
must  these  troops  have  surveyed  the  miserable,  half- 
starved,  and  half-clad  remains  of  that  "  grand  army," 
their  own  detachment  from  whose  banners  had,  some 
few  short  months  before,  filled  every  bosom  among  them 
with  regret ! '' 

Oudinot  had  been  left  at  Smolensk,  and  upon  the 
evacuation  of  Moscow,  was  ordered  to  move  forward  to 
secure  the  retreat.  Victor  was  severely  wounded  at 
Polotsk,  and  compelled  to  retire  to  Wilna.  These  brave 
men  parted  with  grief  from  the  confident  host  of  inva- 
sion ;  and  now  with  deeper  sorrow,  welcomed  the  rag- 
ged, famishing,  freezing,  and  bleeding  remains  of  that 
unrivaled  army,  a  few  miles  from  Borizoff,  which  the 
marshals  had  meanwhile  retaken.  With  this  augment- 
ed force,  the  emporor  moved  toward  the  Beresina. 
The  river  was  three  hundred  yards  wide,  six  feet  in 
depth,  and  full  of  floating  ice.  Napoleon,  with  artful 
maneuvers,  deceived  his  enemy,  and  the  Russian  com- 
mander withdrew  from  Studzianska  to  a  position  eight- 
een miles  below.  When  it  was  shown  to  the  emperor, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Then  I  have  outwitted  the  general  ?  " 
Before  the  Russians  discovered  the  mistake,  two  bridges 
v/ere  thrown  across  the  stream,  and  Oudinot  had 
passed  over.  When  Napoleon  gained  the  opposite 
shore,  his  words  of  triumph  were,  ''My  star  still 
reigns  !'*  November  27th  the  conflict  opened.  Into 
tho  crowded  mass  of  soldiers,  the  women  and  wounded, 
the  Russians  poured  their  iron  hail  of  death. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  307 

One  of  the  bridges  broke  down  in  the  midst  of  the 
carnage,  beneath  the  weight  of  artillery  and  troops,  and 
plunged  the  shrieking  multitude  into  the  flood.  A 
survivor  of  the  campaign  said, afterward,  "  The  scream 
that  rose  did  not  leave  my  ears  for  weeks  ;  it  was  heard 
clear  and  loud  over  the  hurrahs  of  Cossacks,  and  all  the 
roar  of  artillery."  Victor  defended  the  bridge  until 
evening,  while  the  columns  trampling  on  the  dead  and 
dying,  advanced  in  the  cannonade  of  the  Russian  bat- 
teries ;  he  then  followed,  leaving  the  wounded  and 
straggling  portions  of  the  army,  on  the  enemy's  bank. 
lie  fired  the  bridge  and  left  them  to  their  fate,  as  the 
stern  necessity  of  war.  When  spring  thawed  the  Bere- 
sina,  twelve  thousand  bodies  were  drifted  from  its  bed. 

December  3d  the  struggling  companies  arrived  at 
Molodaczno.  Here  they  met  supplies  despatched  from 
Wilna,  to  which  town  were  sent  immediately,  under 
escort,  the  wounded  and  whatever  encumbered  the  army. 
Napoleon  called  a  council  of  war,  and  announced  the 
decision  to  his  oflEicers  of  returning  without  delay  to 
Paris. 

The  troops  were  near  the  soil  of  Poland,  and  sure  of 
an  abundance  to  feed  and  clothe  them.  The  design 
was  approved,  and  the  emperor  on  the  5th,  leaving  the 
chief  command  to  Murat,  bade  the  garrison  and  relics 
of  the  "  grand  army,"  drawn  up  before  Wilna,  adieu, 
and  set  off  at  midnight  with  a  few  attendants  in  three 
sledges,  for  the  capital  of  France.  Near  Warsaw  he 
just  escaped  falling  into  the  hands  of  a  company  of 
Russians  ;  and  on  the  10th  entered  that  city.  His  am- 
bassador there,  Abbe  de  Pradt,  whose  mission  was  a 
failure,  which  occasioned  his  removal,  congratulated 
the  emperor  upon  his  deliverance  from  so  great  dan- 
gers. "'  Dangers,"  cried  Napoleon,  *'  there  were  none 
— I  have  beat  the  Russians  in  every  battle — I  live  but 


308  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

iu  dangers — it  is  for  kings  of  Cockaigne  to  sit  at  home 
at  ease.  My  army  is  in  a  superb  condition  still — it  will 
be  recruited  at  leisure  at  Wilna,  and  I  go  to  bring  up 
three  hundred  thousand  men  more  from  France." 

On  the  14tli  he  was  at  Dresden,  and  visited  by  the 
King  of  Saxony,  who  renewed  his  pledge  of  fidelity^ 

Four  days  later,  he  entered  the  Tuilleries  after  Maria 
Louisa  had  retired  to  sleep.  A  cry  of  alarm  from  the 
startled  inmates  roused  the  empress,  and  in  another 
moment  she  embraced,  with  unfeigned  affection,  the 
royal  fugitive.  The  next  morning  he  held  a  levee,  and 
freely  declared  the  disastrous  ravages  of  fire  and  frost 
among  his  annihilated  army.  The  eighty  thousand 
soldiers  and  stragglers  left  at  Wilna  continued  to  waste 
away  before  the  increasing  cold.  Crossing  the  bridge 
at  Kowno  with  only  thirty  thousand — the  "  Old  Guard  " 
was  reduced  to  three  hundred  men — Marshal  Ney  had 
fought  his  way  on,  his  path  lined  and  paved  with  his 
slaughtered  and  frozen  troops,  and  was  the  last  to  pass 
the  bridge,  with  thirty  heroes  by  his  side.  Calmly 
walking  back  toward  the  enemy's  shore,  he  fired  the 
last  shot,  and  threw  his  gun  into  the  river.  When  he 
met  General  Dumas  on  the  German  side,  in  the  house 
of  a  friend,  he  answered  to  the  question,  "  AYho  are 
you  ?  "  ''  I  am  tlie  rear-guard  of  the  grand  arm}' — 
Marshal  Xey.  I  have  fired  the  last  musket  shot  on  the 
bridge  of  Kowno,  I  have  thrown  into  the  Niemen  the 
last  of  our  arms,  and  I  have  Avalked  hither,  as  you  see 
me,  across  the  forest."  The  annals  of  war  can  present 
no  more  sublime  defiance  of  an  unconquered  will,  aiul 
quenchless  ardor  of  devotion  to  his  king  and  country. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  3u9 


CHAPTER  yill. 

Napoleon's  reception  after  the  defeat  in  Russia — His  character. — The  new 
coalition — Battle  of  Lutzen. — Entrance  into  Dresden. — Battle  of  Bautzen. 
— Negotiations.— ?iletternich. — The  plan  of  campaign. — Siege  of  Dresden. 
—Disasters.— Napoleon's  desperate  courage.— Battle  of  Leipsic. — Murat 
abandons  the  Emperor's  cause. — Treachery  of  the  Allies. — The  Senate 
of  France  falter  in  their  support. — Napoleon's  rebuke. — Correspondence 
with  Joseph. — Napoleon  at  the  Tuilleries. — He  enters  on  the  final  strug- 
gle.— Battle  of  Brienne. — Letters. — Want  of  arms. — Letters. — The  prog- 
ress of  the  Allies. — Napoleon's  expedition  on  the  Marne. — His  victories. 
— Letters  from  Joseph  on  the  condition  of  Paris. — Negotiations  for 
Peace.— Napoleon's  account  of  the  crisis  in  his  affairs. — His  policy  in  his 
extremity. — Battle  of  Leon. — Rheims. — Letters  to  Joseph. — The  last 
struggle.— The  Allies  advance  toward  Paris. — The  flight  of  the  Court. — 
The  capitulation. 

The  twenty-ninth  bulletin  of  Napoleon  had  prepared 
the  popular  mind  to  welcome  the  emperor,  whose 
eloquent  words  assured  his  subjects  that  the  resistless 
elements  alone  had  snatched  victory  from  the  grand 
army.  Although  nearly  every  family  of  the  empire 
was  in  mourning,  his  magical  name  and  presence  re- 
stored the  confidence,  and  renewed  the  devotion  of  the 
people.  The  senate,  officials,  and  public  bodies,  all 
pressed  up  to  the  throne,  with  expressions  of  homage 
and  applause.  Enlistments  were  ordered,  and  the  reg- 
iments of  fresh  troops  gathered  to  his  standard  by 
thousands.  The  arsenals  were  alive  with  preparation, 
and  in  each  habitation,  the  farewell  to  some  manly  in- 
mate was  spoken.  Within  a  few  weeks,  Xapoleon  was 
at  the  head  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  sol- 
diers, fresh  from  the  bosom  of  a  loyal,  gallant  nation. 
The  grandeur  of  his  genius,  was  seen  and  felt  at  home 
and  abroad,  in  the  magnificent  expenditures  of  money 


310  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  labor  during  these  years  of  war  with  the  rest  of 
Europe,  in  national  improvements.  The  whole  sum 
laid  out  on  canals,  docks,  harbors  and  public  buildings, 
in  nine  years,  was  $200 ,000, 000.  Such  achievements  of 
intellect  and  power,  stamp  Napoleon  with  a  fascinating 
preeminence,  which  may  lead  the  historian,  and  ad- 
mirer of  brilliant  deeds,  to  a  partial  estimate  of  moral 
qualities,  which  are  essential  elements  of  true 
greatness.  Napoleon's  character  was  deficient  in  the 
strength  and  purity  which  have  invested  with  a  benign 
attraction  the  names  of  earth's  noblest  heroes — elevating 
far  above  Alexander,  Hannibal,  and  Napoleon,  in 
the  scale  of  being,  Washington,  and  the  less  success- 
ful Louis  Kossuth  of  Hungary.  Every  rational  mind 
feels  the  transcendent  excellence  of  these  Christian  vir- 
tues, which  we  do  not  discern  in  the  Emperor,  of 
France,  and  without  Avliich,  ambition  must  ever  have 
an  alliance  with  brute  force,  and  be  directed  mainly  to 
personal  glory.  But  it  is  also  nndeniable  that  Napoleon 
was  vastly  superior  in  intellectual  and  moral  proportions 
to  the  monarchs  with  whom  he  contended  ;  and  in  his 
great  campaigns,  was  sustained  in  the  general  principle 
of  lawful  war,  by  the  violation  of  sacred  treaties  on  the 
part  of  his  enemies. 

This  does  not  change  the  motives  which  ruled  him 
in  the  invasion  of  Egypt,  the  seizure  of  Naples,  the 
conquest  of  Spain,  the  divorce  of  Josephine,  the  awful 
tragedy  of  the  Eussian  expedition. 

Napoleon  was  again  mustering  his  energies  for  the 
conflict  with  surrounding  kings.  Frederic  William  of 
Prussia,  a  sincere  ally,  desired  to  continue  his  friendly 
relations  with  France.  The  garrisons  of  the  emperor, 
scattered  over  the  Prussian  territory,  were  unable  to 
keep  the  jjeople  in  subordination.  The  king  inter- 
posed, indeed,  his  authority  to  protect  the  soldiers  of 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  3U 

Xapoleon  from  j)opulur  violence  ;  but  it  soon  became 
manifest  that  their  safety  must  depend  on  their  con- 
centrating themselves  in  a  small  number  of  fortified 
places  ;  and  that  even  if  Frederic  William  had  been 
cordially  anxious  to  preserve  his  alliance  with  France, 
it  would  ere  long  be  impossible  for  him  to  resist  the 
unanimous  wishes  of  his  people.  Murat  was  soon  weary 
of  his  command.  He  found  himself  thwarted  and  con- 
trolled by  the  other  generals,  none  of  whom  respected 
his  authority  ;  and  one  of  whom,  when  he  happened  to 
speak  of  himself  in  the  same  breath  with  the  sovereigns 
of  Austria  and  Prussia,  answered,  without  ceremony, 
*'  You  must  remember  that  these  are  kings  by  the  grace 
of  God,  and  by  descent,  and  by  custom  ;  whereas  you 
are  only  a  king  by  the  grace  of  Xaj^oleou,  and  through 
the  expenditure  of  French  blood."  Murat  was  more- 
over jealous  of  the  extent  to  which  his  queen  Avas  un- 
derstood to  be  playing  the  sovereign  in  Naples,  and  he 
threw  wp  his  command.  Eugene  succeeded  him  at 
the  moment  when  it  was  obvious  that  Frederic 
William  could  no  longer,  even  if  he  would,  rejaress  the 
universal  enthusiasm  of  his  people.  On  the  31st  of 
January  the  king  made  his  escape  to  Breslau,  in  which 
neighborhood  no  French  were  garrisoned,  erected  his 
standard,  and  called  on  the  nation  to  rise  in  arms. 
Whereon  Eugene  retired  to  Magdeburg,  and  sliut  him- 
self up  in  that  great  fortress,  with  as  many  troojos  as  he 
could  assemble  to  the  west  of  the  Elbe. 

Six  years  had  elapsed  since  the  fatal  day  of  Jena  ; 
and  the  Prussian  nation  had  recovered  in  a  great  meas- 
ure its  energies.  The  people  now  answered  the  call  of 
their  beloved  prince,  as  with  the  heart  and  voice  of  one 
man.  Young  men  of  all  ranks,  the  highest  and  the 
lowest,  flocked  indiscriminately  to  the  standard  :  the 
students  of  the  universities  formed  themselves  into  bat- 


312  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

talions,  at  the  head  of  which,  in  many  instances,  their 
teachers  marched.  The  women  flung  their  trinkets 
into  the  king's  treasur}' — tlie  gentlemen  melted  their 
plate — England  poured  in  her  gold  with  a  lavish  hand. 
The  rapidity  with  which  discipline  was  established 
among  the  great  levies  thus  assembled,  excited  univer- 
sal astonishment. 

In  March  the  allies  met  at  Breslau  ;  Alexander  em- 
braced cordially  Frederic  William.  It  was  stipulated 
in  the  conditions  of  coalition,  that  the  German  powers 
should  be  required  to  join  the  alliance  against  Napo- 
leon, or  forfeit  their  estates.  The  King  of  Saxony 
refused  the  demand,  and  was  compelled  to  flee  from 
his  capital.  The  allies  then  marched  over  his  realm, 
and  entered  triumphantly  Dresden.  Bernadotte  landed 
thirty-five  thousand  troojDS  at  Stralsund.  England 
lavished  gold  by  millions,  to  secure  the  revolution  in 
feeling  and  action  among  these  rulers,  at  this  crisis  of 
apparent  weakness  and  waning  power  of  Napoleon. 
The  struggle  in  Spain  continued.  Thus  once  more  the 
storm  blackened  around  the  single  kingly  captain,  who 
had  for  twenty  years  rocked  a  continent  with  his  ad- 
vancing steps. 

April  15th,  Napoleon  left  St.  Cloud  for  the  banks  of 
the  Saale,  the  headquarters  of  his  army.  Maria 
Louisa  had  been  created  regent  of  the  empire  during 
his  absence.  She  was  amiable  and  loved  by  the  emper- 
or, who  often  expressed  his  entire  confidence  in  her 
fidelity  and  devotion.  On  the  25t]i,  he  reached  Erfurth, 
to  lead  onward  in  the  shock  of  a  continental  struggle, 
his  battalions  of  youthful,  and  enthusiastic  recruits. 
His  eagle  eye  was  toward  Dresden,  where  the  czar  and 
the  King  of  Prussia  were  waiting  for  the  coming  of 
llussian  legions,  designing  to  move  toward  Leipsic. 

May  2d,  the  hostile  armies  met  unexpectedly  on  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  313 

old  battle-ground  which  drank  the  blood  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus,  near  tlie  town  of  Lutzen.  Crossing  the 
Elster  under  cover  of  a  dense  fog,  the  iillied  forces 
emerged  from  the  interposing  heights,  and  fell  upon 
the  columns  of  Xapoleon,  During  eight  hours,  the 
slaughter  went  on,  and  tlie  young  men  fell  in  ranks 
around  their  emperor,  toward  whom  was  turned  their 
dying  glance.  At  last,  Xapoleon  brought  forward  his 
guard,  with  sixty  pieces  of  artillery,  and  entered  like 
a  falling  avalanche,  the  living  masses  of  disciplined 
soldiers.  The  field  was  won,  but  too  dearly  for  pur- 
suit. 

The  allies  retreated  to  Leipsic,  thence  to  Dresden, 
and  finally  crossed  the  Elbe  to  Bautzen. 

This  result  was  another  sj^lendid  achievement  of 
Napoleon's  genius.  The  advantage  in  the  opening 
conflict  was  with  his  enemies,  but  he  wrung  the 
victory  from  their  hands.  He  ordered  the  Te  Denm 
to  be  sung  in  the  churches,  in  commemoration  of  the 
first  success  of  his  arms  since  he  fled  from  tlie  snow- 
fields  of  Russia.  He  advanced  to  Dresden  ;  and  be- 
neath the  smile  of  a  vernal  day,  reflected  from  the 
trappings  and  weapons  of  war,  he  entered  the  streets 
of  the  beautiful  city,  with  a  jubilant  welcome  from  the 
subjects  of  his  faithful  friend,  the  King  of  Saxony. 
The  aristocracy  who  had  hailed  the  appearance  of  the 
allies,  waited  on  the  emperor  ;  and  the  hitherto  waver- 
ing army  joined  his  legions. 

"While  the  emperor  paused  at  Dresden,  Xey  made 
various  demonstrations  in  the  direction  of  Berlin,  with 
the  view  of  inducing  the  allies  to  quit  Bautzen  ;  but 
it  soon  became  manifest  that  they  had  resolved  to 
sacrifice  the  Prussian  capital,  if  it  were  necessary, 
rather  than  forego  their  position  ;  by  adhering  to  which 
they  well  knew  Bonaparte  must  ultimately  be  com- 


314     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

pelled  to  carry  his  main  force  into  a  difficult  and 
mountainous  country,  in  place  of  acting  in  the  open 
plains  of  Saxony  and  Brandenburg. 

"Having  replaced  by  wood-work  some  arches  of  the 
magnificent  bridge  over  the  Elbe,  at  Dresden,  which 
the  allies  had  blown  up  on  their  retreat,  Napoleon 
now  moved  toward  Bautzen,  and  came  in  sight  of  the 
jiosition  on  the  morning  of  tlie  21st  of  May.  Its 
strength  was  obviously  great.  In  their  front  was  the 
river  Spree  :  wooded  hills  supported  their  right,  and 
eminences  well  fortified  their  left.  The  action  began 
with  an  attempt  to  turn  their  right,  but  Barchiy  de 
Tolly  anticipated  this  movement,  and  repelled  it  with 
such  vigor,  that  a  whole  column  of  seven  thousand 
dispersed,  and  fled  into  the  hills  of  Bohemia  for  safety. 
The  emperor  then  determined  to  pass  tlie  Spree  in 
front  of  the  enemy,  and  they  permitted  him  to  do  so, 
rather  than  come  down  from  their  position.  He  took 
np  his  quarters  in  the  town  of  Bautzen,  and  his  whole 
army  bivouacked  in  presence  of  the  allies.  The  battle 
was  resumed  at  daybreak  on  the  22d  ;  when  Ney  on 
the  right,  and  Oudinot  on  the  left,  attempted  simul- 
taneously to  turn  the  flanks  of  the  position  ;  while 
Soult  and  Napoleon  himself  directed  charge  after 
charge  on  the  center.  During  four  hours  the  struggle 
was  maintained  with  unflincliing  obstinacy  ;  the 
wooded  heights  where  Blucher  commanded,  had  been 
taken  and  retaken  several  times — the  bloodshed,  on 
either  side,  had  been  terrible — ere,  the  situation  of 
both  flanks  being  apparent,  the  allies  perceived  the 
necessity  eitluM-  of  retiring,  or  of  continuing  the  figlit 
against  superior  numbers  on  disadvantageous  ground. 
They  withdrew  accordingly  ;  but  still  with  all  t.he  de- 
liberate coolness  of  a  parade  ;  halting  at  every  favor- 
able  spot,  and   renewing    their    cannonade.     *  What,' 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEOX  BOXAPARTE.  :)lj 

exclaimed  Napoleon,  '  no  results  !  not  a  gun  !  not  a 
jjrisoner  ! — these  people  will  not  leave  me  so  mucli  as 
a  nail.*  During  the  whole  day  he  urged  the  pursuit 
with  impetuous  rage,  reproaching  even  his  chosen 
generals  as  '  creeping  scoundrels/  and  exposing  his 
own  person  in  the  very  hottest  of  the  fire.  By  his  side 
was  Duroc,  the  grand  master  of  the  palace,  his  dearest 
— many  said,  ere  now,  his  only  friend.  Bruyeres, 
another  old  associate  of  the  Italian  wars,  was  struck 
down  in  their  view.  '  Duroc,'  wliispered  Xa2)oleon, 
'fortune  has  a  spite  at  us  this  day.'  A  few  minutes 
afterward  Duroc  himself  was  mortally  wounded.  The 
emperor  instantly  ordered  a  halt,  and  remained  all  the 
afternoon  in  front  of  his  tent,  surrounded  by  the  guard, 
who  did  not  witness  his  affliction  without  tears. 
From  this  time  he  would  listen  to  no  reports  or  sug- 
gestions. 'Everything  to-morrow,'  was  his  invari- 
able answer.  He  stood  by  Duroc  while  he  died ; 
drew  up  with  his  own  hand  an  epitaph  to  be  placed 
over  his  remains  by  the  pastor  of  the  place,  who  re- 
ceived 200  napoleons  to  defray  the  expense  of  a  fitting 
monument  ;  and  issued  also  a  decree  in  favor  of  his 
departed  friend's  children.  Thus  closed  the  22d.  The 
allies,  being  strongly  posted  during  most  of  the  day, 
had  suffered  less  than  the  French  :  the  latter  had  lost 
fifteen  thousand,  the  former  ten  thousand  men. 

"  They  continued  their  retreat  into  upper  Silesia ; 
and  Napoleon  advanced  to  Breslau  and  released  the 
garrison  of  Glogau.  Meanwhile,  the  Austrian,  having 
watched  these  indecisive  though  bloody  fields,  once 
more  renewed  his  offers  of  mediation.  The  sovereigns 
of  Russia  and  Prussia  exjDressed  great  willingness  to 
accept  it ;  and  Xapoleon  also  appears  to  have  been 
sincerely  desirous  for  the  moment  of  bringing  his  dis- 
putes  to   a   peaceful  termination.     lie  agreed   to   an 


316  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

armistice,  and  in  arranging  its  conditions,  agreed  to 
fall  back  out  of  Silesia ;  thus  enabling  the  allied 
princes  to  re-opeu  communications  with  Berlin.  The 
lines  of  country  to  be  occupied  by  the  armies  respect- 
ively, during  the  truce,  were  at  length  settled,  and  it 
Avas  signed  on  the  first  of  June.  Napoleon  then  re- 
turned to  Dresden,  and  a  general  congress  of  diploma- 
tists prepared  to  meet  at  Prague." 

The  allies  demanded  that  Napoleon  should  surren- 
der Illyria,  half  of  Italy,  and  abandon  Spain,  Holland, 
the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  and  Switzerland. 
Metternich,  the  unjjrincijiled  and  cunning  politician, 
jjresented  the  terms  of  treaty  to  Napoleon. 

There  was  doubtless  truth  in  the  words  of  the  em- 
peror, who  afterward  said,  ''These  extravagant  propo- 
sitions were  made  that  they  might  be  rejected."  The 
concessions  would  have  given,  in  his  declining  power, 
the  occasion  of  general  conspiracy,  and  secured  his 
inevitable  overthrow. 

He  had  gone  too  far  to  retreat ;  greater  victories  or 
a  demolished  throne  was  the  alternative  before  him. 
But  his  enemies  wished  to  gain  time  for  the  arrival  of 
Bernadottc,  and  the  Russian  forces  ;  while  Austrian 
and  Prussian  relations  were  more  definitely  settled. 

The  interview  between  Napoleon  and  Metternich 
was  private  and  spirited.  The  emperor  expressed  his 
surprise  that  his  own  father-in-law  should  declare  Avar 
against  France.  He  offered  to  give  up  the  Hanse 
toAvns  and  Illyria,  besides  granting  the  dissolution  of 
the  Grand  Duchy  of  Warsaw,  and  the  reconstruction 
of  Prussia,  to  secure  peace.  He  added,  "  I  only  wish 
you  to  be  neutral.  I  can  deal  with  these  Russians  and 
Prussians  single-handed.  Ah,  Metternich,  tell  me 
honestly  how  much  the  English  have  given  you  to  take 
their  part  against  me  ?  '* 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  31  7 

At  this  crisis,  when  the  allies,  conscious  of  the  great- 
ness of  Napoleon,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  conflict, 
■were  not  unwilling  to  continue  negotiations,  news  of 
the  victories  in  Spain  over  the  French  army  there, 
elated  the  enemy,  and  terminated  the  armistice.  Wel- 
lington had  triumphed  ;  Joseph  and  Jourdan  were 
defeated.  The  duke  was  ready  to  pour  his  columns 
into  the  valleys  of  southwestern  France. 

August  10th,  1813,  Austria  signed  the  alliance  offen- 
sive and  defensive  witli  Russia  and  Prussia.  At  night- 
fall, brilliant  rockets  rose  successively  along  the  frontier- 
heights  of  Bohemia  and  Silesia,  announcing  the  re- 
opening of  war  upon  the  plains  of  Europe.  Generals 
Jomini  and  Moreau  had  joined  the  allied  troops,  and 
Bernadotte  was  leading  the  columns  of  Sweden  into 
the  field.  This  treachery  was  bitter  to  Napoleon,  and 
ominous  of  future  disasters.  Austria  contributed  two 
hundred  thousand  men  to  the  army  which  environed 
Napoleon,  making  a  host  of  nearly  five  hundred  thou- 
sand disciplined  troops,  to  encounter  which  he  had 
only  about  half  the  number  of  soldiers.  He  was  en- 
tering on  a  desperate  struggle  for  his  tottering  throne. 
The  opposing  generals  had  studied  the  emperor's  mili- 
tary tactics,  and  under  the  direction  of  Bernadotte 
and  Moreau,  whose  experience  was  no  trifling  auxiliary, 
the  campaign  was  wisely  planned. 

The  commanders  agreed  that  whoever  was  first 
drawn  into  the  conflict,  should  retreat,  tempting  Na- 
poleon to  abandon  Dresden  in  the  pursuit,  and  so 
leave  the  city  exposed  to  an  attack  by  remaining  forces. 
If  successful,  the  magazines  would  fall  into  their  hands, 
and  the  French  army  would  be  broken  by  the  interpos- 
ing divisions  of  the  enemy,  while  in  the  rear  of  the 
French,  between  the  Elbe  and  the  Bhine,  the  allies 
would  extend  their  lines. 


318  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Blncher,  a  Prussian,  whom  Napoleon  called  **  the 
debauched  dragoon,"  commanding  eighty  thousand 
Eussian  and  Prussian  troops,  threatened  Macdonald's 
division.  Blucher  was  a  great  general,  but  a  man  of 
reckless  character.  Napoleon  knew  his  qualities  as 
an  officer,  and  despised  his  entire  want  of  moral  prin- 
ciple. He  immediately  decided  to  advance  upon  him, 
and  protect  Macdonald.  Blucher  retired,  and  the 
emperor  pursued  him.  According  to  the  plan  of 
operations,  Schwartzenberg,  with  whom  were  Alex- 
ander and  Francis,  marched  toward  Dresden,  August 
25th.  An  immediate  assault  would  have  taken  the 
city.  But  it  was  not  till  the  next  day  that  the  allied 
armies,  in  six  columns,  with  fifty  pieces  of  artillery, 
opened  their  terrific  fire  upon  the  beautiful  capital. 
The  carnage  defies  description.  The  streets  were 
deluged  with  blood,  and  the  dead  lay  mangled  in  the 
gorgeous  apartments  of  princely  wealth.  St.  Cyr,  who 
commanded  the  garrison,  was  on  the  borders  of  de- 
spair, and  the  inhabitants  pleading  for  capitulation, 
when  Napoleon,  with  the  Imperial  Guard,  crossed  the 
Elbe,  and,  amid  a  storm  of  balls  and  shells,  entered 
the  city.  Shouts  of  exultation  filled  the  air.  Without 
pausing  to  rest  or  eat,  the  reinforcement  rushed  to  the 
onset ;  the  allies  were  driven  back,  and  night  inter- 
rupted the  wasting  conflict.  A  tempestuous  morning 
was  the  signal  for  renewed  battle ;  and  with  such 
marvelous  skill  did  Napoleon  pour  his  divisions  upon 
the  encircling  host,  that,  before  the  close  of  day,  the 
enemy  retreated.  Moreau,  who  was  reconnoitering 
the  French  on  a  distant  eminence  in  company  with 
Alexander,  was  struck  by  a  cannon-ball,  and  both  his 
legs  almost  torn  from  his  body.  The  fire  was  given 
by  Napoleon's  order,  but  without  any  knowledge  of 
those  at  whom  it  was  directed,     With  stoical  indiffer- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  319 

ence  the  traitor  submitted  to  amputation,  aud  died  two 
da3's  after.  The  emperor  was  again  victorious  ;  but  his 
strength  was  exhausted,  and  a  sudden  attack  of  illness 
compelled  him  to  return  to  Dresden.  Vandamme,  a 
fiery,  daring  officer,  while  pursuing  the  flying  battal- 
ions toward  Toepletz,  where  around  the  magazines  the 
scattered  forces  were  rallying,  j)ushed  on  too  far  into 
the  valley  of  the  Culm.  Here  he  was  met  by  the 
Russian  divisions,  and,  after  a  fierce  encounter,  sur- 
rendered with  eight  thousand  troops.  General  Oudinot, 
who  was  ordered  to  advance  upon  Bernadotte,  was 
overwhelmed  by  a  superior  force,  and  defeated.  Mac- 
donald  was  hemmed  in  within  a  narrow  defile,  and  also 
conquered.  When  these  tidings  of  disaster  reached 
Napoleon  on  his  couch  of  suffering  at  Dresden,  he 
said  to  Murat,  *'  This  is  the  fate  of  war  ;  exalted  in 
tlie  morning,  low  enough  before  night.  There  is  but 
one  step  between  triumph  and  ruin."  A  map  of  Ger- 
many was  spread  out  before  him,  and,  tracing  the 
distances  with  his  compasses,  he  repeated  these  lines 
of  his  favorite  poet,  Corneille  : 

"  J'ai  servi,  comniande,  vaincu  quarante  annees  ; 
Du  monde,  entre  mes  mains,  j'ai  vu  les  destinees  ; 
Et  j'ai  toujours  connu  qu'en  chaque  evenenient 
Le  destin  des  etats  dejjendait  d'un  moment."* 

During  the  month  of  September,  Napoleon  marched 
upon  the  allies  under  Blucher  and  Bernadotte,  at  dif- 
ferent points,  and  was  victorious.  But  his  triumphs 
Avere  fruitless  ;  no  decisive  results  were  obtained,  and 
his  army  was  declining  in  strength  daily.     The  King 

*  I  have  served,  CDmmanded,  conquered  for  forty  years. 
Of  the  world,  in  my  hands,  I  have  seen  the  destinies : 
And  I  have  always  known,  that  in  each  event, 
The  destiny  of  slates  depended  on  a  moment. 


S20  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

of  Bavaria  was  forced  to  yield  to  the  pressure  around 
liim,  and  join  the  enemy.  Jerome,  King  of  Westphalia, 
was  driven  by  revolt  from  his  capital. 

Napoleon,  thus  plunged  into  a  sea  of  troubles,  had 
one  hundred  thousand  troops  with  which  to  face  five 
times  that  number.  It  was  a  sublime  and  touching 
spectacle  of  greatness  passing  from  the  zenith  toward 
a  horizon  of  dismal  gloom.  His  purpose  was  formed 
of  marching  upon  Berlin,  cutting  his  way  through  the 
opposing  Avail  of  living  men,  and  by  carrying  the  war 
into  the  enemy's  country,  oblige  them  to  retrace  their 
steps,  and  defend  their  beleaguered  cities.  France  had 
responded  to  the  call  for  180,000  conscripts  to  strengthen 
his  greatly  inferior  force.  But  his  officers,  exhausted 
and  desponding,  refused  to  support  the  emperor  in  ihe 
bold  enterprise — the  grandest  in  his  career.  A  council 
of  war  was  called  ;  and  never  was  the  mighty  heart  of 
Najjoleon  more  oppressed  and  filled  with  sorrow.  His 
star  was  already  in  the  darkness  of  eclipse.  He  coulc*. 
do  nothing  without  the  enthusiasm  of  his  generals.  He 
yielded  to  necessity,  and  abandoned  the  design  which 
he  believed  would  have  retrieved  his  fortunes.  He 
now  turned  toward  Leipsic,  where  "  as  on  a  common 
center,  the  forces  of  France,  and  all  her  enemies,  were 
now  at  length  converging.  Napoleon  reached  that 
venerable  city  on  the  15th  of  October,  and  almost  im- 
mediately the  heads  of  Schwartzenberg's  columns  be- 
gan to  appear  toward  the  south.  It  was  necessary  to 
prepare  on  the  northern  side  also,  in  case  Bernadotte 
and  Blucher  should  appear  ere  the  grand  army  was 
disposed  of  ;  and,  lastly,  it  was  necessary  to  secure 
efTectually  the  ground  to  the  west  of  Leipsic  ; — a  series 
of  marshy  meadoAvs,  interfused  with  the  numeroua 
branches  of  the  Pleisse  and  the  Elster,  through  which 
lies  the  only  road  to  France.     Napoleon,  having  made 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  321 

all  his  preparations,  reconnoitered  every  outpost  in  j^er- 
son,  and  distributed  eagles,  in  great  form,  to  some  new 
regiments  which  had  just  joined  liim.  The  ceremonial 
was  splendid  ;  the  soldiers  knelt  before  the  emperor, 
and  in  presence  of  cA\  the  line  :  military  mass  was  per- 
formed, and  the  young  warriors  swore  to  die  rather 
than  witness  the  dishonor  oi  France.  Upon  this  scene 
the  sun  descended  ;  and  with  it  the  star  of  Napoleon 
went  down  forever. 

"At  midnight,  three  rockets,  emitting  a  brilliant 
white  light,  sprung  into  the  heavens  to  the  south  of 
the  city  ;  these  marked  the  position  on  which  Schwart- 
zenberg  had  fixed  his  liead quarters.  They  wer:  an- 
swered by  four  rockets  of  a  deep  red  color,  ascending 
on  the  instant  from  the  northern  horizon.  Bonaparte 
had  with  him,  to  defend  the  line  of  villages  to  tlie  south 
and  north  of  Leipsic,  130,000  men,  while,  even  in  the 
absence  of  Bernadotte,  who  might  be  hourly  looked  for, 
the  allies  mustered  not  less  than  230,000. 

"  The  battle  commenced  on  the  soutliern  side,  at  day- 
break of  the  IGth.  The  allies  charged  the  French  lino 
there  six  times  in  succession,  and  were  as  often  repelled. 
Napoleon  then  charged  in  his  turn,  and  with  such 
effect,  that  Murat's  cavalry  were  at  one  time  in  posses- 
sion of  a  great  gap  between  the  two  wings  of  the  enemy. 
The  Cossacks  of  the  Russian  imperial  guard,  however, 
encountered  the  French  horse,  and  puslied  them  back 
again.  The  combat  raged  without  intermission  until 
nightfall :  three  cannon  shots,  discharged  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  either  line,  then  marked,  as  if  preconcert- 
edly,  the  pause  of  battle  ;  and  both  armies  bivouacked 
exactly  where  the  morning  light  had  found  them. 
Such  was  the  issue  on  the  south,  where  Napoleon  him- 
self commanded.  Marmont,  his  lieutenant  on  the 
northern  side,  was  less  fortunate.     Blucher  attacked 

21 


322  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

him  with  a  vast  superiority  of  numbers  :  nothing  could 
be  more  obstinate  than  his  defense  ;  but  he  lost  many 
prisoners  and  guns,  was  driven  from  his  original  ground, 
and  occupied,  when  the  day  closed,  a  now  line  of  posi- 
tions, much  nearer  the  walls  of  the  city. 

"Gallant  as  the  behavior  of  liis  troops  had  been,  the 
result  satisfied  Napoleon  that  he  must  finally  retreat 
from  Leipsic ;  and  he  now  made  a  sincere  effort  to  ob- 
tain peace.  He  accordingly  sent  a  messenger  with 
proposals  to  the  allied  camps,  but  it  was  now  too  late  : 
tiie  allied  princes  had  sworn  to  each  other  to  entertain 
no  treaty  while  one  French  soldier  remained  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Rhine.  Napoleon  received  no  an- 
swer to  his  message  ;  and  prepared  for  the  difficult  task 
of  retreating  with  100,000  men,  through  a  crowded 
town,  ill  presence  of  an  enemy  already  twice  as  numer- 
ous, and  in  hourly  expectation  of  being  joined  by  a 
third  great  and  victorious  army. 

"  During  the  17tli  the  battle  was  not  renewed,  ex- 
cept by  a  distant  and  partial  cannonade.  The  allies 
were  resolved  to  have  the  support  of  Bernadotte  in  the 
decisive  contest. 

"At  eight  in  the  morning  of  the  18th  it  began,  and 
continued  until  nightfall  without  intermission.  Bona- 
parte had  contracted  on  the  south,  as  well  as  on  the 
north,  the  circuit  of  his  defense  ;  and  never  was  his 
generalship,  or  the  gallantry  of  his  troops,  more  bril- 
liantly displayed  than  throughout  this  terrible  day. 
Calm  and  collected,  the  emperor  again  presided  in 
person  on  the  southern  side,  and  again,  where  he  was 
])resent,  in  spite  of  the  vast  superiority  of  the  enemy's 
numbers,  the  French  maintained  their  ground  to  the 
end.  On  the  north,  the  arrival  of  Bernadotte  enabled 
Blncher  to  push  liis  advantages  with  irresistible  effect ; 
and   the   situation  of   Marmont  and  Ney  was  further 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  323 

perplexed  by  the  shameful  defection  of  ten  thousand 
Saxons,  who  went  over  with  all  their  artillery  to  the 
enemy,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  battle.  The  two  mar- 
shals, therefore,  were  compelled  to  retire  from  point  to 
point,  and  at  nightfall  lay  almost  close  to  the  walls  of 
Leipsic.  Three  cannon  shots,  as  before,  marked  the 
general  termination  of  the  battle. 

*'  The  loss  on  either  side  had  been  great.  Napoleon's 
army  consisted  chiefly  of  very  young  men — many  were 
merely  boys — the  produce  of  his  fore-stalled  conscrip- 
tions ;  yet  they  fought  as  bravely  as  the  guard.  The 
behavior  of  the  Germans,  on  the  other  hand,  at  length 
considering  their  freedom  and  independence  as  hangiug 
on  the  fortune  of  a  single  field,  had  been  answerable  to 
the  deep  enthusiasm  of  that  thoughtful  people.  The 
burghers  of  Leipsic  surveyed  from  their  towers  and 
steeples  one  of  the  longest,  sternest,  and  bloodiest  of 
battles  ;  and  the  situation  of  the  King  of  Saxony,  who 
remained  all  the  while  in  the  heart  of  his  ancient  city, 
may  be  imagined. 

''Napoleon  gave  orders  at  midnight  for  the  com^ 
mencement  of  the  inevitable  retreat :  and  while  the 
darkness  lasted,  the  troops  continued  to  file  through 
the  town,  and  across  the  two  bridges,  over  the  Pleisse, 
beyond  its  Avails.  One  of  these  bridges  was  a  tempo- 
rary fabric,  and  it  broke  down  ere  daylight  came  to 
show  to  the  enemy  the  movement  of  the  French.  The 
confusion  necessarily  accompanyiug  the  march  of  a 
whole  army  through  narrow  streets  and  upon  a  single 
bridge,  was  fearful.  The  allies  stormed  at  the  gates 
on  either  side,  and  but  for  the  heroism  of  Macdonald 
and  Poniatowski,  to  whom  Napoleon  intrusted  the  de- 
fense of  the  suburbs,  it  is  doubted  whether  he  himself 
cor.ld  have  escaped  in  safety.  At  nine  in  the  morning 
of   the  19th,  he  bade  farewell  forever  to  the  King  of 


324  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Saxony,  who  remained  to  make  what  terms  he  conld 
with  the  allied  sovereigns.  Tiie  battle  was  ere  then 
raging  all  round  the  walls. 

'*  At  eleven  o'clock  the  allies  had  gathered  close  to 
the  bridge  from  either  wing  ;  and  the  walls  over  against 
it  had  been  intrusted  to  Saxons,  who  now,  like  their 
brethren  of  the  day  before,  turned  tlieir  fire  on  the 
French.  The  officer  to  whom  Napoleon  had  committed 
the  task  of  blowing  up  the  bridge,  when  the  advance 
of  the  enemy  should  render  this  necessary,  conceived 
that  the  time  was  come,  and  set  fire  to  his  train.  The 
crowd  of  men  urging  each  other  on  the  point  of  safety, 
could  not  at  once  be  stojoped.  Soldiers  and  horses, 
cannons  and  wains,  rolled  headlong  into  the  deep  though 
narrow  river  ;  which  renewed,  though  on  a  smaller 
sc{j,le,  the  horrors  of  the  Beresina.  Marshal  Macdonald 
swam  the  stream  in  safety  ;  the  gallant  Poniatowski, 
the  hope  and  pride  of  Poland,  had  been  twice  wounded 
ere  he  plunged  his  horse  into  the  current,  and  he  sunk 
to  rise  no  more.  Twenty-five  tliousand  Frenchmen, 
the  means  of  escape  entirely  cut  off,  laid  down  their 
arms  within  the  city.  Four  sovereigns,  each  entering 
at  the  head  of  his  own  victorious  army,  met  at  noon  in 
the  great  market-place  of  Leipsic  :  and  all  the  exulta- 
tion of  that  solemn  hour  would  have  been  partaken  by 
the  inhabitants,  but  for  the  fate  of  their  own  sovereign, 
personally  esteemed  and  beloved,  who  now  vainly  en- 
treated to  be  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  conquerors, 
and  was  sent  forthwith  as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  Berlin. 

*'  Napoleon,  in  killed,  and  wounded,  and  prisoners, 
lost  at  Leipsic  at  least  fifty  thousand  men. 

**  The  retreat  of  the  French  through  Saxony  was  ac- 
companied Avith  every  disaster  which  a  hostile  peas- 
antry, narrowness  of  supplies,  and  the  persevering 
pursuits  of  tlie  Cossacks  and  other  light  troops  could 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  3^5 

inflict  oil  a  disordered  and  disheartened  mass  of  men. 
The  soldiers  moved  on,  wliile  under  the  eye  of  Napo- 
leon, in  gloomy  silence  :  wherever  lie  was  not  present, 
they  set  every  rule  of  discipline  at  nought,  and  were 
guilty  of  the  most  frightful  excesses.  The  emperor 
conducted  himself  as  became  a  great  mind  amid  great 
misfortunes.  He  appeared  at  all  times  calm  and  self- 
possessed  ;  receiving,  every  day  that  he  advanced,  new 
tidings  of  evil. 

*'  He  halted  two  days  at  Erfurth,  where  extensive 
magazines  had  been  established,  employing  all  his  ener- 
gies in  the  restoration  of  discipline  ;  and  would  have 
remained  longer,  had  he  not  learned  that  the  victors 
of  Leipsic  were  making  j^rogress  on  either  flank  of  his 
march,  while  the  Bavarians  (so  recently  his  allies)  re- 
inforced by  some  Austrian  divisions,  were  moving 
rapidly  to  take  post  between  him  and  the  Rhine.  He 
resumed  his  march,  therefore,  on  the  24th.  It  was 
here  that  Murat  quitted  the  army.  Notwithstanding 
the  unpleasant  circumstances  under  which  he  had  re- 
tired to  Naples  in  January,  Joachim  had  reappeared 
when  the  emperor  fixed  his  headquarters  at  Dresden, 
in  the  summer,  and  served  Avith  his  usual  gallantry 
throughout  the  rest  of  the  campaign.  Tlie  state  of 
Italy  now  demanded  his  presence  ;  and  the  two  brothers- 
in-law,  after  all  their  differences,  embraced  each  other 
warmly  and  repeatedly  at  parting — as  if  under  a  mu- 
tual presentiment  that  they  were  parting  to  meet  no 
more." 

Murat  saw  that  the  prestige  of  Napoleon  was  gone, 
and  to  save  his  crown  in  Na^iles,  he  entered  into  an 
alliance  with  the  foes  of  France.  He  immediately  ap- 
peared on  the  arena  of  combined  empires,  against  him 
who  had  made  his  fortune,  and  prevented  by  his  oppos- 
ing division,  the  advance  of  Eugene  from  Italy  to  aid 


326  I^IFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  cause  of  Bonaparte.  The  two  members  of  the  im- 
perial family  met  at  Milan,  as  enemies.  For  this 
timely  assistance,  the  allies  promised  to  secure  the 
throne  of  Naples  to  Murat,  and  his  heirs  ;  a  reward 
which  was  never  given  to  the  ambitious,  dashing,  vain, 
and  unstable  prince. 

The  hostile  armies  fell  on  Napoleon  in  his  retreat,  at 
Haynau,  and  were  defeated,  after  losing  ten  thousand 
men.  A  bomb-shell  exploded  near  him,  but  he  escaped 
nuhurt — his  destiny  was  not  fulfilled.  He  continued 
to  press  forward  toward  Paris,  and  at  five  o'clock,  No- 
vember 5th,  reached  St.  Cloud,  and  embraced  the  weep- 
ing empress.  It  was  a  strange  and  humbling  misfor- 
tune, which  seems  a  part  of  the  awful  retribution  for 
abandoning  Josephine,  and  accepting  the  union  with 
a  faithless,  because  a  royal  race,  that  her  father  was 
then  the  most  dreaded  enemy  of  all  the  kings  whose 
myriad  host,  like  the  Assyrians  of  ancient  battle,  were 
sweeping  in  concentrating  circles  upon  the  single  cap- 
tain of  a  decimated  army.  Maria  Louisa  felt  the  blow 
which  had  fallen  from  a  paternal  hand,  amid  the  un- 
friendly strokes  of  those  who  had  formed  the  emperor's 
household,  and  received  their  honors  from  him  who 
gave  thrones  away  to  his  heroes,  as  if  the  world  were 
his  own. 

A  revolution  followed  the  tidings  of  the  result  at 
Leijisic,  in  Holland,  and  the  exiled  Prince  of  Orange 
returned  to  resume  the  reins  of  government,  Novem- 
ber, 1813.  The  Confederation  of  the  Ehine  became  a 
gossamer  web  before  the  victorious  allies,  and  tlie 
states,  as  the  only  alternative,  wheeled  into  the  ranks 
of  the  augmenting  caravan  of  monarchs  and  subjects, 
whose  hydra-folds  were  around  the  struggling  Hercules 
who  still  kept  tlio  world  in  awe. 

St.  Cyr,  with  thirty  thousand  troops,  who  had  been 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BOXAPAKTE.  307 

shut  up  iu  Dresden,  capitulated,  on  the  conditions  of 
returning  to  France,  and  no  more  taking  uriiis  against 
the  allied  armies,  until  formally  exchanged  as  prison- 
ers of  war.  But,  in  contempt  of  the  stipulation,  and, 
it  must  be  confessed,  in  contrast  with  Napoleon's  treat- 
ment of  Wurraser  at  Mantua  seventeen  years  before, 
the  allies  offered  them  starvation  in  Dresden,  or 
the  necessity  of  marching  to  the  prisons  of  Austria. 
There  was  no  sufRcient  excuse  for  this  act  of  infidelity, 
and  it  was  one  of  the  lasting  blots  upon  the  banner  of 
Napoleon's  determined  foes.  .Similar  was  the  fate  of 
General  Eapp  and  his  division  at  Dantzic.  "Welling- 
ton had  driven  the  soldiers  of  France  from  Sj^ain,  and 
was  on  the  territory  of  their  sovereign.  The  outposts 
of  power  were  all  gone,  and  the  wa}^  prepared  to  come 
down  upon  the  citadel  of  strength — to  march  upon 
Paris  itself.  Napoleon  afterward  said  of  this  crisis, 
"Ere  then  I  felt  the  reins  slipiniKj  from  my  liaiids.'"' 
Though  propositions  for  peace  were  made  by  Caulain- 
court  in  the  emperor's  behalf,  and  the  branded  kings 
issued  at  Frankfort  a  manifesto,  the  negotiations  were 
no  more  than  a  passing  illusion.  Najjoleon  aroused 
himself  with  an  amazing  energy  for  the  final  contest. 
France  was  alive  with  w'arlike  preparations.  Conscri])- 
tions  and  taxation  went  forward  with  redoubled  vigor. 
The  emigrant  royalists,  who  had  been  allowed  to  return 
to  France,  were  busy  j)lotting  against  the  doomed  man. 
The  priests,  remembering  the  invasion  of  their  sacred 
rights  in  the  person  of  the  Eoman  Pontiff,  and  the 
confiscation  of  church  possessions,  joined  in  the  wide- 
spread conspiracies.  The  wily  diplomatist,  Talleyrand, 
anticipating  tlie  coming  overthrow,  commenced  cor- 
resjjondence  with  the  allies  to  secure  his  good  fortune 
against  ruin.  The  emperor  called  around  him  the 
Council  of  State  and  the  Senate,  and  made  his  stirring 


328  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

appeals.  But  the  nation  was  exhausted,  and  tlie  con- 
flicting parties  growing  strong  under  the  shadow  of  his 
throne.  To  the  coohiess  of  the  senators,  who  suggested 
that  if  the  proposals  of  the  allies  had  heen  accepted 
France  might  have  heen  preserved,  he  replied,  "  Wel- 
lington has  entered  the  south,  the  Eussians  menace  the 
northern  frontier,  the  Prussians,  Austrians,  and  Bava- 
rians the  easterii.  Shame  !  AVellington  is  in  France, 
and  we  have  not  risen  en  masse  to  drive  him  back  ! 
All  my  allies  have  deserted — the  Bavarian  has  betrayed 
me.  No  peace  till  we  have  burned  Munich.  I  demand 
a  levy  of  three  hundred  thousand  men — with  this  and 
what  I  already  have,  I  shall  see  a  million  in  arms.  I 
will  form  a  camp  of  one  hundred  thousand  at  Bour- 
deaux  ;  another  at  Mentz  ;  a  third  at  Lyons.  But  I 
must  have  grown  men — these  boys  serve  only  to  encum- 
ber the  hospitals  and  the  roadsides.  *  *  *  Abandon 
Holland  !  sooner  yield  it  back  to  the  sea  !  Senators,  an 
impulse  must  be  given — all  must  march — you  are  fathers 
of  families,  the  heads  of  the  nation — you  must  set  the 
example.  Peace  !  I  hear  of  nothing  but  peace,  when 
all  around  should  echo  to  the  cry  of  vi'ar."  To  the 
Council  of  State  he  added,  respecting  the  undecided 
report  drawn  up  by  the  Senate,  "  In  place  of  assisting, 
they  impede  me.  Our  attitude  alone  could  have  re- 
pelled the  enemy — they  invite  him.  "We  should  have 
presented  a  front  of  brass — they  lay  open  wounds  to  his 
view.  I  will  not  suffer  their  report  to  bo  printed. 
They  have  not  done  their  duty,  but  I  will  do  mine — I 
dissolve  the  legislative  senate."  The  truth  is,  the  last 
conditions  of  the  allies  to  reduce  France  to  her  natural 
limits  were  humiliating  ;  and,  rather  than  leave  the 
realm  less  powerful  than  he  fouiul  it,  he  preferred  to 
fight  and  conquer — or  die  honorably  in  the  struggle  ; 
or,  if  the  dire  necessity  arose,  abdicate  his  throne. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  329 

December  20tli,  Schwartzenberg,  witli  the  grand 
army  of  invasion,  crossed  the  Rhine  near  Basle,  enter- 
ing upon  the  ]ieutral  territory  of  Switzerland,  and 
marched  without  opposition  into  Burgundy.  At  this 
juncture,  and  after  but  little  correspondence  between 
Napoleon  and  Joseph  for  months,  tlie  following  letters 
were  written,  and  soon  after  a  reconciliation  was  so 
far  made,  that  frequent  notes  were  exchanged. 

JOSEPH   TO   XAPOLEOX. 

"  December  29,  1813. 

*'  Sire — The  violations  of  the  Swiss  territory  have 
laid  France  open  to  the  enemy. 

"  In  this  state  of  affairs  I  am  anxious  that  your 
majesty  be  persuaded  that  my  heart  is  wholly  French. 
Recalled  by  circumstances  to  France,  I  should  be  glad 
to  be  of  some  use,  and  I  am  ready  to  undertake  any- 
thing which  may  prove  to  you  my  devotion. 

"  I  am  also  aware,  sire,  of  what  I  owe  to  Spain  ;  I 
see  my  duties,  and  wish  to  fulfil  all  of  them.  If  I 
make  claims,  it  is  only  for  the  purpose  of  sacrificing 
them  to  the  general  good  of  mankind,  esteeming  my- 
self happy  if  by  such  sacrifices  I  can  promote  the 
peace  of  Europe. 

"  I  hope  that  your  majesty  may  think  fit  to  com- 
mission one  of  3'our  ministers  to  come  to  an  under- 
standing on  this  subject  with  the  Duke  of  Santa  Fe, 
my  minister  for  foreign  affairs." 

XAPOLEON"    TO     JOSEPH. 

"  December,  1813. 

*'My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
29th  of  December.  It  is  far  too  clever  for  the  state  of 
my  affairs.  I  will  ex2)lain  it  in  two  words.  France  is 
invaded,  all  Europe   is  in  arms  against  France,   and 


330  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

above  all  against  me.  You  are  no  longer  King  of 
Spain.  I  do  not  want  Spain  either  to  keep  or  to  give 
away.  I  will  have  nothing  more  to  do  witli  that  coun- 
try, except  to  live  in  peace  with  it,  and  have  the  use 
of  my  army.  What  will  you  do  ?  Will  you,  as  a 
French  prince,  come  to  the  support  of  my  throne  ? 
You  possess  my  friendship  and  your  apjoanage,  and  will 
be  my  subject  as  prince  of  the  blood.  In  this  case  you 
must  act  as  I  have  done — announce  the  part  which  you 
are  about  to  play,  write  to  me  in  simple  terms  a  letter 
which  I  can  print,  receive  the  authorities,  and  show 
yourself  zealous  for  me  and  the  King  of  Rome,  and 
friendly  to  the  regency  of  the  empress.  Are  you  un- 
able to  do  this  ?  Have  you  not  good  sense  enough  for 
it  ?  Then  retire  to  the  obscurity  of  some  country- 
house  forty  leagues  from  Paris.  You  will  live  there 
quietly  if  I  live  ;  you  will  be  killed  or  arrested  if  I  die. 
You  will  be  useless  to  me,  to  our  family,  to  your 
daughters,  and  to  France  ;  but  you  will  do  me  no  harm, 
a7id  will  not  be  in  my  way.  Choose  quickly  the  line 
which  you  will  take." 

Ferdinand  was  restored  to  power  ;  of  whom  Napier 
says,  "  an  effeminate,  superstitious,  fawning  slave  at 
Valencay,  and  now,  after  six  years'  captivity,  he  re- 
turned to  his  own  country  an  ungrateful,  cruel  tyrant." 
January  1st,  1814,  Blucher  passed  the  Rhine  ;  and  the 
third  division  of  an  army,  numbering  a  million  of 
troops,  under  Witzcngorode  and  Bulow,  crossed  the 
frontier  of  ISTetherlauds.  The  wealthy  citizens  flew  to 
Paris  with  tlie  news  of  tlie  darkening  storm  over 
hitherto  proud,  victorious  France. 

January  24th,  Napoleon  held  a  grand  levee  in  the 
saloon  of  tlie  Tuillerios.  Nine  hundred  officers  and 
dignitaries  gathered  in  splendid  array  around  the  em- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTK.  ;>,31 

peror,  with  the  subdued  aspect  of  a  grave  ;iud  nnxidus 
assembly.  Napoleon  appeared  in  the  center  of  the  hull, 
accompanied  by  Maria  Louisa,  and  the  beautiful  boy, 
for  whom  so  fearful  a  sacrifice  had  been  made.  After 
bestowing  the  regency  on  the  empress,  he  said  with 
the  firm  and  thrilling  tones  of  an  ever-eloquent  voice, 
"  Gentlemc!!,  France  is  invaded  ;  I  go  to  j^ut  myself  at 
the  head  of  my  troops,  and,  with  God's  help  and  their 
valor,  I  hope  soon  to  drive  the  enemy  beyond  the 
frontier."  Here  he  took  Maria  Louisa  in  one  hand  and 
her  son  in  the  other,  and  continued — ''  Bat  if  they 
should  approach  the  cajjital,  I  confide  to  the  national 
guard,  the  empress  and  the  King  of  Rome" — then  cor- 
recting himself,  he  said  in  a  tone  of  strong  emotion — 
"  my  wife  and  my  child." 

Tears  gushed  from  veteran  eyes  ;  they  were  shed  by 
many  who  cherished  no  strong  attachment  for  Napoleon. 
Officers  immediately  advanced  from  the  silent  and  im- 
posing circle,  as  pledges  of  the  protection  desired  for 
the  trembling  queen,  and  her  dreaming  child.  The 
hour  of  peril  had  brought  from  obscurity  friends  who 
had  lived  apart  from  Napoleon's  career.  Carnot,  who 
so  boldly  opposed  the  stride  to  imperial  jiower,  came 
forward,  and  offered  his  sword  to  the  emperor.  With 
characteristic  appreciation  of  iireeminent  talent  and 
noble  qualities,  he  gave  him  the  command  of  the  im- 
portant city  and  fortress  of  Antwerj). 

January  25th,  while  the  snow  was  falling,  suggestive 
of  past  disasters.  Napoleon  having  given  his  private 
papers  to  the  flames,  and  embraced  his  wife  and  child 
for  the  last  time,  left  Paris  for  the  field  of  battle. 
Joseph  was  again  in  the  capital  at  the  head  of  the 
conncil,  and  next  in  official  station  to  the  empress. 

Napoleon  reached  St.  Dizier,  a  hundred  miles  from 
Paris,  on  the  27th,  and  there  met  with  a  small  force. 


332  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  Cossacks  of  Blucher's  army.  A  brief  struggle  fol< 
lowed,  and  the  French  were  victorious.  The  main 
columns  of  the  Prussians  were  at  Brienne  on  the  Aube 
— the  town  where  the  genius  of  Najooleon  received  its 
earliest  military  culture.  Could  the  emperor  drive 
Blucher  from  this  position,  he  would  then  lie  between 
two  great  divisions  of  the  overshadowing  enemy, 
weakening  their  strength,  and  giving  him  the  advantage 
of  his  inimitable  mode  of  warfare — falling  on  separate 
masses  of  his  enemy,  like  the  successive  shocks  of  the 
earthquake  which  lays  the  city  in  ruins.  The  28th  he 
marched  in  the  face  of  a  tempest,  and  through  the  snow, 
rekindling  the  enthusiasm  of  his  soldiers,  and  receiv- 
ing the  warmest  expressions  of  self-sacrifice  and  devo- 
tion from  the  humblest  peasantry.  The  next  day,  he 
stood  before  the  bristling  castle  and  heights  of  Brienne, 
with  twenty  thousand  men,  opposed  by  sixty  thousand 
Russians  in  this  stronghold,  whose  presence  thronged 
memory  with  bitter  recollections.  The  sudden  tramp 
of  the  French  battalions  before  the  gates,  startled 
Blucher  from  his  wine  at  the  dinner-table  of  the  chateau, 
and  he  made  his  escajie  through  a  postern,  leading  his 
horse  down  a  stairway.  A  bloody  fight  began,  and 
when  twilight  deepened  over  the  crimson  hills,  five 
thousand  of  the  allies  were  slain.  General  Gourgaud 
shot  a  Cossack  when  pointing  his  spear  at  the  back  of 
the  emperor — a  moment  more,  and  Brienne  would  have 
witnessed  the  close,  as  it  did  the  dawn,  of  his  career. 
Napoleon  gives  a  graphic  account  of  these  events  : 

NAPOLEON"  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Brienne,  January  31,  1814  ;  in  the  evening. 

**  The  bulletin  will  have  informed  you  of  the  events 
which  have  taken  place.     The  engagement  at  Brienne 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  333 

was  very  hot.  I  have  lost  three  thousand  men,  and 
the  enemy's  loss  amounts  to  between  four  thousand  and 
five  thousand.  I  pursued  him  half-way  to  Bar-sur-Aube. 
I  have  repaired  the  bridges  over  the  Aube  which  were 
burnt.  In  another  instant  General  Blucher  and  the 
whole  of  his  staff  would  have  been  taken.  The  nephew 
of  the  Chancellor  of  Ilardenberg,  who  was  close  to 
them,  was  taken.  They  were  on  foot,  and  did  not 
know  that  I  was  with  the  army. 

Since  the  battle  of  Brienne  the  allies  have  had  great 
respect  for  our  army.  They  did  not  believe  we  had 
any.  I  have  reason  to  think,  although  I  am  not  cer- 
tain, that  the  Duke  of  Yicenza  has  reached  the  em- 
peror's headquarters  at  Chaumont.  This  affair  of 
Brienne,  the  position  of  our  armies,  and  the  oj^iniou 
which  is  entertained  of  them,  may  hasten  the  peace. 
It  is  advisable  that  the  newspapers  should  describe 
Paris  as  determined  to  defend  itself,  and  should  an- 
nounce large  numbers  of  troops  as  arriving  from  every 
quarter. 

''I  have  ordered  a  column  of  from  one  thousand  to 
two  thousand  horses  belonging  to  the  guard,  two  pieces 
of  cannon,  three  or  four  infantry  wagons,  and  between 
three  thousand  and  four  thousand  men  of  the  young 
guard,  altogether  a  column  of  from  four  thousand  to 
five  thousand  men,  to  leave  Paris.  To  these  should  be 
joined  a  company  of  the  baggage-train  belonging  to  the 
guard,  if  there  is  one  ready.  This  column  is  to  pro- 
ceed toward  Xogent  and  Fismes,  where  it  will  wait  for 
further  orders.  The  Duke  of  Treviso  had  evacuated 
Troyes  in  order  to  advance  upon  Arcis-sur-Aube  ;  but 
I  desired  him  to  return  to  Troyes,  and  he  arrived  there 
this  evening  at  seven  o'clock.  It  is  very  important  to 
reinforce  as  soon  as  possible  the  division  which  is  at 
Troyes.'' 


334  Lll^'t:  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Blucher  retreatud  along  the  Aube  to  La  Rothiere, 
nine  miles  from  Brieune,  where  Schwartzenberg,  incited 
by  the  thunder  of  artillery,  joined  him.  February  1st, 
Blucher  opened  the  conflict,  which  raged  all  day  with 
frightful  ferocity.  The  eagles  of  Frajice  were  struck 
down,  and  leaving  five  thousand  of  his  soldiers  mangled 
on  the  frozen  plain,  Napoleon  fled  toward  Troves.  This 
second  battle  of  Brienne,  is  called  by  French  writers, 
the  battle  of  La  Eothiere  ;  in  which  Napoleon's  ad- 
vanced guard  was  posted. 

The  allies  now  definitely  arranged  a  conference  for 
the  consideration  of  peace.  The  emperor  informs 
Joseph  of  its  character  : 

IfAPOLEON"   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  PiNEY,*  February  21, 1814. 

''It  seems  that  the  allies  have  fixed  the  3d  of  Feb- 
ruary for  opening  the  congress  at  Chatillon  ;  that  Lord 
Castlereagh  and  half  a  dozen  other  Englishmen  will 
negotiate  for  England,  M.  de  Stadion  for  Austria,  M. 
de  Humboldt  for  Prussia,  and  Rasumouski  for  Russia. 
It  appears  that  the  allies  feared  lest  the  arrival  of  the 
Duke  of  Vicenza  at  their  headquarters  might  develop 
and  mature  the  seeds  of  disunion  already  existing 
among  them.  They  preferred  to  hold  the  congress  at 
a  distance  from  their  headquarters.  I  shall  be  at 
Troyes  to-morrow." 

He  arrived  at  Troyes  on  the  3d,  and  remained  there 
three  days  ;  during  which,  Joseph  despatched  a  mes- 
sage containing  the  following  significant  passage  : 

"The  public  mind  was  depressed  to-day,  and  I  had 
great  trouble  in  keeping  up  the  spirits  of  many  people. 
I  have  seen  the  empress  twice,  and  when  I  left  her  last 

♦  A  village  half  way  hotweon  Brienne  and  TroyeB. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  p,35 

night  she  was  more  composed  ;  she  had  just  received  a 
letter  from  your  majesty  in  which  you  mention  tlie 
congress. 

-'If  your  majesty  siiould  meet  witli  serious  reverses, 
Avhat  form  of  government  ought  to  be  left  here  in  order 
to  prevent  intriguers  from  putting  themselves  at  the 
head  of  the  first  movement  ?  Jerome  asks  me  what 
should  be  his  conduct  in  such  a  case  ?  Men  are  coming 
in,  but  we  want  money  to  clothe  them.  Count  Darn 
can  obtain  only  10,000  fr.  a  day  from  the  Treasury  ; 
this  delays  terribly  the  departure  of  the  troops.  Tliere 
are  here  two  battalions  of  National  Guards." 

The  emperor  with  gleams  of  hope,  and  a  faithful 
army,  lived  continually  under  the  shadow  of  fear  for 
his  capital.  In  a  reply  to  his  brother  he  betrays  his 
anxiety  :  "  Take  away  from  Fontainebleau  all  valu- 
ables, and  above  all  everything  which  might  serve  as 
a  trophy,  without,  however,  unfurnishing  the  chateau 
too  much  ;  it  is  useless  to  leave  in  it  plate  or  anything 
that  can  be  easily  removed.  1  am  writing  to  La  Bouil- 
lerie  to  desire  him  to  hold  a  million  francs  at  your  dispo- 
sal, to  hasten  the  clothing  and  equipment  of  the  troo23s." 

He  gave  orders  to  ''  hold  firmly  the  batteries  of 
Paris,"  to  watch  the  three  points  of  ajjproach,  and 
arm  with  fowling-pieces  and  pikes,  reserves  for  defense. 

He  complains  that  "  the  bad  spirit  of  such  men  as 
Talleyrand,  who  endeavored  to  paralyze  the  nation, 
prevented  him  from  having  early  recourse  to  arms," 
the  consequence  of  which  was  the  doubtful  crisis  of 
national  affairs.  His  efforts  to  quiet  the  popular  feel- 
ing were  constant,  and  he  resorted  to  any  form  of  de- 
ception to  attain  the  object.  From  Nogent,  on  the 
Seine,  to  which  he  had  advanced,  he  directed  Joseph 
to   "  insert   in   the   Monitcur  an  article,  headed  Cha- 


336  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

tillou-snr-Seine,  saying  that  on  the  6th  the  members  of 
the  congress  dined  with  the  Duke  of  A^icenza  ;  that  it 
is  remarked  that  all  the  ambassadors  are  on  terms  of 
the  greatest  politeness,  especially  those  of  France  and 
England,  who  are  full  of  attentions  for  each  other." 

The  correspondence  given  at  length,  presents  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  crowding  events  of  this  reign  of  terror, 
and  exhibits  the  character  of  actors  on  the  world-excit- 
ing stage  of  royal  contest. 

JOSEPH   TO  JSTAPOLEON". 

"Paris,  February  7, 1814  ;  11  p.m. 

"  Sire — I  have  received  your  majesty's  two  letters 
of  yesterday.  I  have  seen  and  written  to  the  Duke  of 
Valmy.  He  starts  to-night  for  Meaux.  He  showed 
me  a  letter  from  the  Duke  of  Taranto,  dated  the  6th. 
He  was  still  at  Epernay,  and  had  heard  nothing  from 
your  majesty  for  four  days.  He  had  abandoned 
Chalons  after  defending  it  for  some  time.  The  artil- 
lery was  directed  on  Meaux.  The  enemy  had  entered 
Sezanne.  The  intendant  and  the  public  treasure  had 
escaped  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

"1  inclose  the  exact  route  of  the  9th  infantry  division 
of  the  army  of  Spain. 

"  I  have  sent  an  aide-de-camp  along  the  Chalons 
road  by  way  of  Vitry. 

'*  The  minister  of  war  tells  me  that  he  sent  two  thou- 
sand muskets  to  Montereau  this  morning. 

"  I  have  spoken  to  Louis  about  leaving  him  here  ; 
he  has  written  to  me  a  long  letter  on  the  subject.  I 
have  determined  on  forwarding  it  to  your  majesty.  I 
believe  that  your  majesty  told  me  that  tlie  princesses 
were  to  accompany  the  empress.  If  this  should  not  be 
the  case,  I  ought  to  have  positive  orders  on  tlie  subject. 
I  am  most  anxious  that  the  departure  of  the  empress 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  337 

should  not  take  place.  We  cannot  disguise  from  our- 
selves the  fact  that  the  consternation  and  despair  of  the 
people  may  lead  to  sad  and  even  fatal  consequences.  I 
think,  and  so  do  all  persons  whose  opinion  is  of  value, 
that  we  should  be  prepared  to  make  many  sacrifices  be- 
fore resorting  to  this  extremity.  The  men  who  are  at- 
tached to  your  majesty's  government  fear  tliat  the  de- 
parture of  the  empress  will  abandon  the  people  of  Paris 
to  despair,  and  give  a  capital  and  an  empire  to  the  Bour- 
bons. Although  I  express  the  fear  which  I  see  on  every 
face,  your  majesty  may  rest  assured  that  your  orders 
will  be  faithfully  executed  by  me  as  soon  as  I  receive 
them. 

'*I  have  spoken  to  General  Caffarelli  on  the  subject 
of  Fontainebleau,  and  to  M.  de  la  Bouillerie  about  the 
million  for  the  war  and  the  removal  of  the  treasure.* 
I  do  not  know  how  far  your  majesty  may  approve  of 
my  observations,  but  I  must  say  that  I  think  it  impor- 
tant to  pay  a  month's  salary  to  the  great  dignitaries, 
ministers,  counseillers  d'etat,  and  senators.  Several 
have  been  mentioned  to  me  who  are  really  in  distress, 
and,  in  the  event  of  their  departure  becoming  expedi- 
ent, it  is  thought  that  many  will  be  detained  in  Paris 
for  want  of  the  means  of  traveling. 

"  Marshal  Brune  has  called  on  me  ;  I  was  not  able 


♦  The  treasure  In  the  hands  of  M.  de  la  Bouillerie  was  gradually  accu- 
mulated by  Napoleon  out  of  the  contributions  which  he  imposed  on  con- 
quered towns,  and  out  of  the  sale  or  the  revenues  of  the  domains  belonging 
to  the  sovereigns  whom  he  deposed  or  robbed.  It  was  completely  at  his 
disposal,  but  was  employed  by  him  only  for  military  purposes.  Not 
much  is  known  as  to  its  extent,  or  as  to  the  mode  in  which  it  finally  dis- 
appeared ;  but  the  general  opinion  is,  that  at  the  beginning  of  1814  it 
amounted  to  about  150,000,000  of  francs,  and  that  about  110,000,000  of  it  were 
spent  on  the  army  before  the  expulsion  of  Napoleon.  When  that  event 
happened  about  40,000,000  of  this  treasure  are  supposed  to  have  remained. 
It  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  government  which  succeeded  him,  but  was 
never  accounted  for  ;  one  or  two  of  the  great  fortunes  of  the  Restoration 
are  suspected  to  have  been  created  out  of  it.— Ta. 
22 


338  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

to  see  him.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  came  to  offer  his 
services.  I  should  like  to  know  your  majesty's  wishes 
on  the  subject. 

"  Jerome  is  annoyed  that  your  majesty  has  not  yet 
explained  your  intentions  as  to  the  request  which  I 
made  for  him  in  two  of  my  former  letters.  * 

"  I  am  told  that  M.  de  la  Fayette  was  one  of  the 
first  grenadiers  of  the  national  guard  on  duty  at  the 
Hotel  de  Ville. 

*'The  barriers  will  be  completely  fortified  to-morrow, 
and  we  shall  begin  to  send  artillery  thither. 

"^  General  Caliarelli  answered  to  the  Duke  of  Coneg- 
liano  that  he  had  not  yet  received  a  reply  from  the 
Grand  Marshal  of  the  Palace  to  his  request  for  permis- 
sion to  place  twenty-five  national  guards  at  the  Tuil- 
leries. 

*'P.  S. — I  have  received  your  majesty's  letter,  dated 
to-day,  from  Nogent.  I  have  already  ordered  its  direc- 
tions to  be  followed,  and  I  will  keep  your  majesty  in- 
formed during  the  progress  of  their  execution. 

*'  The  courier  Remy  will  be  the  bearer  of  this  letter." 

NAPOLEON"  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  NoGENT,  February  8,  1814  ;  11  a.  m. 

*'  My  Brother — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
7th,  11  p.  M.  It  surprised  me  extremely.  I  have  an- 
swered you  on  the  event  of  Paris, f  that  you  may  not 
ask  me  any  more  about  what  is  to  follow  it — a  matter 
which  interests  more  persons  than  me.     When  that  hap- 

*  Joseph  had  proposed  that  he  should  be  employed.— Tr. 

+  If  Napoleon  refers  to  any  of  the  letters  now  published,  they  must  be 
the  two  of  the  Gth  of  February.  But  neither  of  these  letters  mentions  the 
empress  or  the  King  of  Rome.  Perhaps  he  refers  to  viva  voce  instruc- 
tions. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  he  never  mentions  the  capture  of  Paris  indi- 
rect terms.  Here  he  alludes  to  it  as  "  Tevenement  de  Paris."  In  his  first 
letter  of  the  6th  he  calls  it  "  Dans  des  moments  extraordinairo«  ;  "  in  the 
second  "  Dans  tout  evenement  imprevu."— Tb, 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  339 

pens  I  shall  be  no  more,  consequently  it  is  not  for  ni}'- 
self  that  I  speak.  I  told  you  that  the  movemeuts  of 
the  empress  and  the  King  of  Rome,  and  the  rest  of  our 
family,  must  be  governed  by  circumstances,  and  you 
have  not  understood  me.  Be  sure  that,  if  the  event 
takes  place,  what  I  have  prophesied  will  certainly  fol- 
low ;  I  am  persuaded  that  she  herself  has  the  same 
expectation.* 

''King  Louis  talks  of  peace.  His  advice  is  ill-timed  ; 
in  fact,  I  can  understand  nothing  in  your  letter.  I 
thought  that  I  had  explained  myself  to  you,  but  you 
never  recollect  anything,  and  you  are  of  the  opinion  of 
the  first  comer  and  of  the  last  speaker. 

''I  repeat,  then,  in  two  words,  Paris  will  never  be 
occupied  while  I  am  alive.  I  have  a  right  to  be  be- 
lieved if  I  am  understood. 

*'I  will  admit,  that  if  through  unforeseen  circum- 
stances, I  should  march  toward  the  Loire,  I  should  not 
leave  the  empress  and  my  son  at  a  distance  from  me,  be- 
cause, whatever  happened,  they  might  both  be  carried 
off  to  Vienna  ;  this  would  be  still  more  likely  to  take 
place  if  I  were  not  alive.  I  cannot  make  out  how,  with 
all  these  intrigues  going  on  around  you,  you  can  bestow 
such  imprudent  praise  upon  the  proposals  of  traitors, 
who  are  incapable  of  giving  honorable  advice  :  never 
employ  them,  even  in  the  most  favorable  circumstances. 
Besides,  no  one  is  bound  to  do  what  is  impossible.  I 
can  no  longer  pay  any  of  my  officers  :  I  have  nothing. 

''  I  own  that  I  am  annoyed  by  your  letter  of  the 
7th,  11  P.  M.,  because  I  see  that  there  is  no  coherence 
in  your  ideas,  and  that  you  allow  yourself  to  be  in- 
fluenced by  the  chattering  and  the  opinions  of  a  set 
of  people  who  never  reflect.     Yes,  I  will  talk  to  you 

*  This  seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  something  that  passed  in  convers*- 
tion.— Ta. 


340  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

openly.  If  Talleyrand  has  anything  to  do  with  the 
project  of  leaving  the  empress  in  Paris  in  case  of  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  it  is  treachery.  I  repeat,  dis- 
trnst  that  man.  I  have  dealt  with  him  for  the  last 
sixteen  years  ;  once  I  even  liked  him  ;  but  he  is  un- 
doubtedly the  greatest  enemy  to  our  house  since  it 
has  been  abandoned  by  fortune.  Keep  to  my  advice. 
I  know  more  than  all  those  people.  If  we  are  beaten 
and  I  am  killed,  you  will  hear  of  it  before  the  rest  of 
my  family.  Send  the  empress  and  the  King  of  Rome 
to  Rambouillet  ;  order  the  senate,  the  conseil-d'etat, 
and  all  the  troops,  to  assemble  on  the  Loire  :  leave 
in  Paris  a  jirefect,  or  an  imperial  commission,  or  some 
mayors. 

"  I  have  told  you  *  that  Madame  f  and  the  Queen 
of  Wectphalia  J  may  remain  in  Paris  in  Madame's 
house.  If  the  viceroy  has  returned  to  Paris,  he  may 
also  stay  there ;  but  on  no  account  let  the  empress 
and  the  King  of  Rome  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

*'Be  certain  that,  from  that  moment,  Austria,  the 
band  which  connected  her  with  France  being  broken,*^ 
would  carry  her  off  to  Vienna,  and  give  her  a  large 
appanage  ;  and,  on  pretense  of  securing  the  happiness 
of  the  empress,  the  French  would  be  forced  to  do 
whatever  England  aiid  Russia  miglit  dictate.  Every 
[national]  party  would  thus  be  destroyed,  for  *  *  *  §  ; 
instead  of  whicli,  in  the  other  case,  the  national  feel- 
ings of  the  iiumbcrs  wliose  interest  it  would  be  to  rebel, 
make  it  impossible  to  foresee  tlie  result.  || 

*  Apparently  in  conversation.— Tr.  +  Napoleon's  mother.— Tr. 

X  Jerome's  wife. — Tr. 

I  The  words  of  the  text  are.  "  TAutriche  6tant  d6sint6ress6e."     I  think 
that  tliis  is  their  meaning. — Tr. 

§  Illegible. --En. 

II  The  loss  of  the  first  part  of  this  sentence  renders  the  second  part 
obscure.— Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  34 1 

''However,  it  may  happen  that  I  beat  the  enemy 
on  his  approach  to  Paris,  and  that  none  of  these  things 
may  take  place.  It  is  also  possible  that  I  may  make 
peace  in  a  few  days.  But,  at  all  events,  it  appears 
from  your  letter  of  the  7th,  11  p.  m.,  that  you  have 
no  means  of  defense.  Your  judgment  in  these  matters 
is  always  at  fault;  your  very  j)riuciples  are  wrong.  It 
is  for  the  interest  even  of  Paris  that  the  empress  and 
the  King  of  Eome  should  not  remain  there,  because 
its  welfare  depends  on  their  safety  ;  and  since  the  world 
has  existed,  I  have  never  heard  of  a  sovereign  allowing 
himself  to  be  taken  in  any  open  town.  This  would  be 
the  first  instance. 

"  The  unfortunate  King  of  Saxony  has  just  reached 
France  ;  he  is  beginning  to  lose  his  happy  illusions. 

"  In  difficult  and  critical  circumstances  a  man  does 
his  duty,  and  leaves  the  rest  to  take  its  course.  If  I 
should  haj)pen  to  live,  I  ought  to  be,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  I  shall  be,  obeyed  ;  if  I  die,  my  son,  as 
sovereign,  and  the  empress  as  regent,  must  not,  for 
the  honor  of  the  French,  allow  themselves  to  be  taken  ; 
they  must  retreat  to  the  last  village. 

"  Remember  what  was  said  by  the  wife  of  Philip  V. 
What,  indeed,  would  be  said  of  the  empress  ?  That 
she  had  abandoned  our  throne  and  that  of  her  son. 
Nothing  would  better  please  the  allies  than  to  make 
an  end  of  everything  by  carrying  them  off  prisoners 
to  Vienna.  I  am  surprised  that  you  do  not  see  this. 
I  see  that  fear  has  turned  all  your  heads  in  Paris. 

"The  empress  and  the  King  of  Rome,  once  at 
Vienna,  or  in  the  hands  of  our  enemies,  you  and  all 
others  who  attempted  a  defense  would  be  rebels. 

"  As  for  me,  I  would  rather  they  would  kill  my  son 
than  see  him  brought  up  at  Vienna  as  an  Austrian 
prince,  and  I  think  well  enough  of  the  empress  to  be- 


342  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

lieve  that  she  is  of  the  same  opiniou,  as  far  as  that  is 
possible  to  a  woman  and  a  mother. 

"  I  have  never  seen  Andromaque  acted  without 
pitying  the  fate  of  Astyanax  in  surviving  the  rest  of 
his  house,  nor  without  thinking  that  it  would  have 
been  a  blessing  for  him  if  he  had  died  before  his 
father. 

"  You  do  not  understand  the  French  nation.  It  is 
impossible  to  foresee  the  ultimate  result  of  such  great 
events  as  these. 

**  As  for  Louis,  I  think  that  he  ought  to  follow  you." 

The  only  letter  written  by  the  empress  which  ap- 
pears up  to  this  date  possesses  interest,  as  I'evealing  the 
affectionate  nature  of  the  Austrian  successor  to  the 
peerless  Josephine. 

MARIE   LOUISE  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  February  8th,  1814. 

"My  Dear  Brother — I  received  last  night  a  letter 
from  the  emperor,  dated  the  6th.  He  tells  me  that  he 
is  well,  and  that  circumstances,  although  they  are 
difficult,  have  improved  during  the  last  week.  lie 
desires  me  not  to  be  anxious  ;  you  know  that  this  is 
impossible.  If  you  have  any  details,  it  will  be  very 
kind  in  you  to  send  them  to  me.  You  see,  my  dear 
brotiier,  from  my  teasing  you  in  this  way,  the  confi- 
dence which  I  have  in  your  friendsiiip  and  patience. 
I  entreat  you  to  believe  in  the  friendship  of  your  af- 
fectionate sister." 

The  want  of  muskets  was  the  fatal  difficulty  in  the 
way  of  defending  Paris.  The  Russian  war  had  made 
an  enormous  waste  of  arms,  and  it  had  been  impossible 
in  so  brief  a  period  to  supply  the  deficiency.     Multi« 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  343 

tudes,  wlio  asked  for  weapons,  were  denied.     But  for 
this  the  capital  might  have  been  secure. 

The  ex-King  of  Spain,  in  a  further  communication, 
alluded  to  a  proposed  order  by  tlie  empress  for  public 
prayers  and  religious  ceremonies,  in  a  manner  that 
discloses  the  unrest  of  the  Catholic  population,  and 
also  the  magazine  of  feeling,  which  a  spark  might 
kindle  into  a  conflagration. 

JOSEPH  TO   XAPOLEOX, 

"Paris,  February  8,  1814  ;  midnight. 

**SiRE — I  have  desired  M.  de  la  Bouillerie  to  make 
arrangements  which  will  enable  him,  if  I  desire  him 
to  leave  Paris  with  the  treasure,  to  set  off  in  six  hours 
after  receiving  the  order.  He  has,  therefore,  been 
obliged  to  load  some  fourgons,  and  to  house  them  in 
the  court  of  the  Grand  Ecuyer  on  the  Carousal.  This 
was  effected  in  the  night,  and  the  officers  on  guard 
in  the  palace  alone  can  have  been  aware  of  it.  The 
director  of  the  Museum  came  to-day  to  tell  me  that  it 
ought  to  be  shut  up,  and  the  things  of  most  value  sent 
out  of  Paris,  unless  I  gave  him  orders  to  the  contrary. 
As  your  majesty  has  given  none  to  me,  I  could  give 
none  to  him.  If  I  should  receive  any  from  your  majest}', 
I  will  communicate  them  without  delay. 

"  It  appears  to  me,  sire,  that  the  pi'oposed  solemnity 
at  St.  Genevieve  will  not  have  a  good  effect.  The 
public  is  already  so  depressed,  and  so  inclined  to  trust 
to  accidents  for  its  defense,  that  we  ought  not  to  in- 
crease its  inactivity  by  telling  it  to  hope  for  safety 
from  religions  intercession.  I  may  add,  that  to  the 
incredulous  these  prayers  would  be  a  mere  ceremony, 
or  an  avowal  of  danger  and  of  distrust  in  our  own  ex- 
ertions.     With   respect   to   the  good  Catholics,   your 


341  i-IFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

majesty  may  rest  assured  tliat  the  government  will 
obtain  nothing  from  them  till  you  are  jjublicly  recon- 
ciled to  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ.  No,  sire,  in  France 
none  are  truly  religious  but  those  who  acknowledge 
the  Pope  as  their  spiritual  head.  The  rest  are  not 
Catholics,  but  unbelievers  or  Protestants.  Therefore, 
till  I  see  in  the  3fonUeur,  *The  Pope  has  returned  to 
Rome:  the  emperor  has  ordered  him  to  be  properly 
escorted  and  received  there,'  I  do  not  think  that  any 
religious  ceremony  would  produce  an  impression  on 
the  Catholics  in  your  majesty's  favor.  This,  sire,  is 
the  truth.  The  empress  is  in  better  spirits  to-day.  I 
have  passed  the  day  in  sustaining  the  hopes  of  people 
who  have  much  less  self-possession  than  belongs  to  her 
majesty." 

Napoleon  approved  the  suggestion,  and  the  appeal  to 
the  religious  element  was  abandoned. 

Like  the  flames  of  a  burning  forest  around  a  solitary 
clearing,  the  foes  of  France,  with  the  fire  of  battle, 
girdled  the  interior  of  France,  and  swept  onward  to- 
ward Paris  and  the  throne.  The  emperor  desired  peace, 
and  gave  Caulaincourt  full  powers  *'  to  keep  the  nego- 
tiations alive,  and  save  the  capital."  On  the  8th  the 
Duke  of  Vicenza  proposed  a  treaty  on  the  basis  of  the 
ancient  limits  of  France  which  were  the  frontier  be- 
fore 1789,  and  nearly  its  present  boundary  ;  while  the 
*' natural  limits  "  were  the  Alps,  the  Pyrenees  and  the 
Rhine.  Napoleon  consented  to  sign  these  conditions, 
as  a  subsequent  letter  will  disclose,  if  the  allies  would 
immediately  cease  hostilities.  This  they  refused  to  do, 
and  the  conference  closed.  They  declared  that  sign- 
ing preliminaries  would  not  close  the  war — the  treaty 
must  be  definitely  settled.  Meanwhile,  Joseph  wrote 
earnestly  in  behalf  of  jjeace. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  345 

JOSEPH   TO    NAPOLEON". 

"  Paris,  February  9th,  1814  ;  11  a.m. 

*'SiRE — I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  8th  ut 
8  P.M.  I  have  sent  the  one  to  the  Empress  Josephine, 
and  I  am  expecting  an  answer  by  Tascher.  After  the 
cabinet  council  I  will  see  MM.  de  Feltre  and  d'Hau- 
terive.  The  Minister  of  ^Yar  has  written  to  me  a  letter 
which  I  send  on  to  your  majesty  ;  you  will  see  that  our 
muskets  are  reduced  to  six  thousand.  It  is,  therefore, 
useless  to  expect  to  form  a  reserve  of  from  thirty  to 
forty  thousand  men  in  Paris.  Things  are  stronger 
than  men,  sire  ;  and  when  this  is  clearly  proved,  it 
seems  to  me  that  true  glory  consists  in  preserving  as 
much  as  possible  of  one's  jieople  and  one's  emj)ire  ;  and 
that  to  expose  a  precious  life  to  such  evident  danger  is 
not  glorious,  because  it  is  against  the  interests  of  a 
great  number  of  men  whose  existence  is  attached  to 
your  own.  Your  majesty  may  rest  assured  that  I  shall 
faithfully  execute  your  commands,  whatever  they  may 
be.  No  one  here  has  anything,  directly  or  indirectly, 
to  do  with  what  I  am  writing  to  your  majesty  in  per- 
fect openness,  just  as  it  occurs  to  me. 

'■'  I  see  so  much  depression,  that  I  fear  that  it  is  use- 
less to  expect  an  army  of  reserve,  or  any  extraordinary 
effort  to  be  made  in  Paris  :  you  must,  therefore,  sub- 
mit with  fortitude  to  necessity ;  whether  you  are  per- 
mitted to  make  a  great  nation  happy,  or  you  are  forced 
to  yield,  there  being  no  choice  left  except  between 
death  and  dishonor  ;  and,  at  this  juncture,  I  see  no 
dishonor  for  your  majesty,  unless  you  abandon  the 
throne,  because  in  this  case  you  would  ruin  a  number 
of  individuals  who  have  devoted  themselves  to  you.  If 
it  be  possible,  then,  make  peace  at  any  price  ;  if  that 
is   impossible,   when  the   hour  comes  we   must   meet 


34:6  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

death  with  resolution,  as  did  the  last  Emperor  of  Con- 
stantinople. 

"  Should  this  occur,  your  majesty  may  be  persuaded 
that  I  shall  in  every  respect  follow  out  your  wishes, 
and  that  I  shall  do  nothing  unworthy  either  of  you  or 
of  me." 

The  Silesian  army,  in  four  divisions,  under  Blucher, 
Sacken,  D'York  and  Alsusief,  was  marching  on  Paris 
down  the  Marne,  and  also  along  another  road  across 
the  marshy  country  by  Vertus,  Etoges  and  Montmirail. 
The  allied  grand  army,  commanded  by  Schwartzenberg, 
whose  headquarters  were  at  Troyes,  was  moving  to- 
ward the  capital  through  the  valley  of  the  Seine. 
Napoleon,  at  Nogent,  upon  the  latter  river,  was  be- 
tween the  two  armies,  and  on  the  9th  designed,  by  a 
flank  movement  to  Sezanne,  to  attack  Blucher,  while 
separated  from  the  other  portion  of  the  invading  host. 
Unexpectedly  at  Baye  he  encountered  a  division  of  the 
enemy,  and,  after  a  fierce  contest,  defeated  it,  and 
reached  Sezanne  the  same  day.  "  The  next  day,  the 
10th,  he  beat  Alsusief  at  Champ-Aubert ;  on  the  11th  ho 
defeated  Sacken  at  Montmirail  ;  on  the  12th  he  defeated 
York  at  (Jhateau-Tliierry,  and,  finding  that  Blucher 
was  advancing,  he  turned  back  to  Montmirail,  and  on 
the  14th  defeated  him  with  great  loss  at  Yauchamps,  a 
village  between  Montmirail  and  Etoges,  and  drove  him 
back  through  Etoges  to  Chalons. 

"  But  Scliwartzonberg  was  profiting  by  Napoleon's 
absence  to  march  on  Paris  by  the  Seine.  He  drove 
Victor  out  of  Nogent,  occupied  Monterau,  and  pene- 
trated beyond  Nangis  to  Mormant,  a  village  not  more 
than  twenty-five  miles  from  Paris.  Three  marshals, 
Oudinot,  Victor,  and  Macdonald,  were  opposed  to  him 
with  a  force  of  about  forty-seven  thousand  men,  but 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  347 

they  appear  to  have  expected  defeat,  and  earnestly  im- 
plored Napoleon's  presence.  Napoleon  left  Montmirail 
on  the  15th,  a  few  hoars  after  he  had  defeated  Blucher, 
reached  Meaux  the  same  day,  and  on  the  16th  joined 
his  marshals  at  Guignes,  a  small  town  at  the  intersec- 
tion of  the  roads  from  Meaux  to  Melun,  and  from  Paris 
to  Nogent.  On  the  17th  he  drove  the  Russians,  under 
Count  Pahlen,  from  Mormant,  and  entered  Nangis,  and 
on  the  18th  he  drove  the  Prince  of  Wirtemberg  out  of 
Monterau,  and  marched  on  Troyes,  from  whence  the 
allied  sovereigns  and  Schwartzenberg  fled  in  terror, 
and  scarcely  paused  until  they  found  themselves  more 
than  one  hundred  miles  off  at  Langres.  In  nine  days 
he  gained  seven  victories,  made  nine  marches  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  most  of  them  over  cross-roads,  such  as 
the  cross-roads  of  France  then  were,  and  drove  away  or 
frightened  away  two  armies,  each  much  larger  than  his 
own. 

"  It  is  not  surprising  that  such  wonderful  success, 
immediately  following  two  years  of  almost  uninter- 
rupted disaster,  somewhat  intoxicated  him,  and  led 
him  to  believe  that  the  chances  were  again  in  his  favor, 
and  even  to  imagine  that  the  allies  themselves  had 
little  hope  of  escaping  with  many  of  their  troops  from 
France." 

The  general  feeling  and  the  condition  of  affairs  at 
the  capital  during  these  triumphs,  are  fully  and  for- 
cibly portrayed  in  the  words  of  the  chief  of  the  council 
of  state  : 

JOSEPH  TO    XAPOLEOX. 

"Paris,  February,  11,  1814  ;  7  a.m. 

*'  Sire — I  did  not  receive  your  letter  dated  Sezanne, 
the  10th,  10  A.M.,  till  to-day  at  seven.  I  have  des- 
patched a  courier  to  inform  Marshal  Macdonald  of  your 


34S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

majesty's  arrival  at  Champ- Aubert,  on  the  rear  of  the 
enemy's  column,  then  at  Montmirail. 

"Nothing  remarkable  is  going  on  here.  The  public 
mind  continues  in  the  same  state.  The  wives  and 
cliildren  of  many  of  the  principal  public  functionaries 
have  left  the  capital.  The  rise  in  the  funds  which  took 
place  yesterday  is  attributed  to  a  letter  from  the  Duke 
of  Vicenza,  giving  hopes  of  the  negotiations  terminating 
favorably.  Every  one  is  persuaded  that  our  affairs  can 
be  reestablished  in  no  other  way  ;  the  state  of  the 
exchequer  and  the  arsenals  is  known  to  all  the  world  ; 
and  whatever  prodigies  may  yet  be  expected  from  the 
experience  and  skill  of  your  majesty,  it  is  not  thought 
possible  that  you  can  struggle  alone  against  numbers 
and  circumstances.  The  ministers  have  doubtless 
already  informed  your  majesty  that  one  of  the  Bour- 
bons has  joined  Lord  Wellington's  army,  and  that 
another  is  in  Holland.  Many  sick  have  arrived  here. 
Money  is  wanting  to  pay  the  troops  ;  tliey  commit  in 
consequence  all  sorts  of  irregularities,  which  exasperate 
the  inhabitants  to  such  a  degree  (I  can  speak  chiefly  of 
those  of  Versailles,  Compiegne,  and  Senlis),  that  it  is 
not  uncommon  to  hear  it  said  publicly,  '  The  enemy 
could  not  do  worse.' 

"I  do  not  write  these  disagreeable  truths  to  your 
majesty  for  the  sake  of  jiersuading  you  to  make  peace 
— I  know  that  you  desire  it  more  than  any  other  person 
— but  in  order  to  console  you,  if  you  should  be  forced 
to  submit  to  conditions  to  which  France  would  not  be 
reduced,  if  the  strongtli  of  mind  of  all  her  people  were 
in  proportion  to  that  of  her  sovereign.  I  entreat  your 
majesty  to  believe  that  my  language  to  the  rest  of  the 
world  is  very  different ;  but  I  am  obliged  to  own  that 
there  is  no  salvation  for  us  but  in  the  speediest  peace, 
on  whatever  conditions.     I  know  no  one  who  is  of  a 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  349 

contrary  opinion.  Your  majesty's  most  faithful  ser- 
vants are  chiefly  distinguished  by  their  profound  con- 
viction that,  witli  jjeace,  your  majesty  Avill  find  in  your 
own  genius,  and  in  the  confidence  of  the  nation,  means 
to  restore  our  affairs/' 

Again  the  negotiations  for  peace  were  opened,  but 
Kapoleon  refused  to  sign  an  armistice  on  the  former 
terms  of  treaty.  His  circumstances  had  greatly 
changed,  and  instead  of  a  willingness  to  obtain  a  cessa- 
tion of  hostilities  upon  the  humbling  conditions  of  the 
"ancient  limits,"  according  to  the  earnest  desire  of  his 
brother  and  other  leading  minds  at  Paris,  he  demanded 
a  retreat  from  his  dominions.  The  whole  course  of 
momentous  events  at  this  decisive  time,  is  given  in  the 
unreserved  utterance  of  tlie  emperor's  policy  in  his 
correspondence.  The  fact,  which  some  historians 
warmly  dispute,  that  he  identified  himself  and  his 
family  with  the  glory  of  France,  with  an  unrivaled 
ambition,  appears  from  his  own  confession.  It  is 
equally  evident  that  under  the  power  of  royal  associ- 
ations, and  fearing  the  spreading  influence  of  a  neiu 
7nan,  both  in  his  system  of  government,  and  contempt 
of  the  ''  divine  right  "  of  kings,  England  with  her  allies 
was  resolved,  at  every  sacrifice  of  treasure  and  blood, 
to  crush  Xapoleon,  and  restore  the  indolent,  worthless 
Bourbons  to  the  throne  of  France. 

XAPOLEOX   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  Nangis,  February  18,  1814. 

"  My  Brothee — Prince  Schwartzenberg  has  at  last 
shown  signs  of  life.  He  has  just  sent  a  flag  of  truce 
to  ask  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities.  It  is  hard  to  be 
dastardly  to  such  a  degree.  He  constantly,  in  the 
most  insulting  terms,  rejected  every  species  of  suspen- 


350  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

sion  of  arms  or  armistice  ;  and  after  the  capitulation 
of  Dantzic  and  that  of  Dresden  he  refused  even  to  re- 
ceive my  flags  of  truce,  a  barbarity  of  which  there  are 
few  examples  in  history.  On  the  first  repulse  these 
wretches  are  on  their  knees.  Happily  the  Prince  of 
Schwartzenberg's  aide-de-camp  was  not  allowed  to  come 
within  our  posts.  I  received  only  his  letter,  which  I 
shall  answer  at  my  leisure.  I  shall  not  grant  any 
armistice  till  I  have  cleared  my  territory  of  them. 
From  what  I  hear,  the  allies  seem  to  have  quite  changed 
their  minds.  The  Emperor  of  Russia,  who,  a  few  days 
ago,  broke  off  the  negotiations,  because  he  wished  to 
impose  upon  France  worse  conditions  than  those  of  our 
ancient  limits,  wishes  now  to  renew  them  ;  and  I  hope 
that  I  may  soon  attain  a  peace  founded  on  the  terms  of 
Frankfort,  which  are  the  lowest  I  could  accept  with 
honor.*  Before  I  began  my  last  operations,  I  offered 
to  sign  on  the  basis  of  the  ancient  limits,  provided  they 
would  cease  hostilities  immediately.  This  proposal  was 
made  by  the  Duke  of  Vicenza  on  the  8th.  They  re- 
fused. They  said  that  even  the  signature  of  prelimi- 
naries Avould  not  put  a  stop  to  hostilities  ;  that  the  war 
should  last  till  all  the  articles  of  peace  were  signed. 
They  have  been  j^unished  for  this  inconceivable  answer, 
and  yesterday,  on  the  17th,  asked  for  an  armistice  ! 

''You  may  well  imagine  that  on  the  eve  of  a  battle  f 
which  I  was  resolved  to  win,  or  to  perish,  when,  if  I 
failed,  my  capital  was  taken,  I  would  then  have  con- 
sented to  anything  rather  than  run  so  great  a  risk.     I 

*  The  terms  offered  by  the  allies  from  Frankfort  were  what  the  French 
have  called  the  "  natural  limits"  of  France,  namely,  the  Alps,  the  Pyre- 
nees, and  the  Rhine. 

The  term  "  ancient  limits  "  signifies  the  frontier  of  France  before  1789, 
and  with  slight  modifications,  her  present  frontier.— Tr. 

t  Napoleon  uses  the  word  battle  to  signify  his  whole  connected  opera 
tions  againgt  Blucher,— Tr. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  351 

owed  this  sacrifice  of  my  pride  to  my  family  and  to  my 
people.  But  since  they  refused  these  terms  ;  since  the 
danger  has  been  encountered  ;  since  everything  has 
returned  to  the  ordinary  risks  of  war ;  since  a  defeat 
no  longer  exposes  my  capital  ;  since  all  the  chances  are 
for  me,  the  welfare  of  the  empire  and  my  own  fame 
require  me  to  make  a  real  peace.  If  I  had  signed  on 
the  terms  of  the  ancient  limits,  I  should  have  rushed 
to  arms  in  two  years,  and  I  should  have  told  the  nation 
that  I  had  signed  not  a  peace,  but  a  capitulation.  I 
could  not  say  this  in  present  circumstances,  for,  as  for- 
tune is  again  on  my  side,  I  can  impose  my  own  condi- 
tions. The  enemy  is  in  a  very  different  position  from 
that  vi^hich  he  occupied  when  he  made  the  Frankfort 
propositions  ;  he  must  now  feel  almost  certain  that  few 
of  his  troops  will  recross  the  frontier.  His  cavalry 
is  worn  out  and  low;  his  infantry  is  exhausted  by 
marches  and  counter-marches  ;  he  has  lost  all  heart.  I 
hope,  therefore,  to  make  a  jieace  such  as  v/ill  satisfy  a 
reasonable  man  ;  and  I  wish  for  no  more  than  the  con- 
ditions of  Frankfort.  Whisper  that  the  enemy  finding 
himself  embarrassed,  has  asked  for  an  armistice,  or  a 
suspension  of  hostilities,  which  was  absurd,  as  it  would 
have  deprived  me  of  the  fruit  of  my  operations  :  add 
that  this  shows  how  thoroughly  he  is  disheartened. 
Do  not  let  this  be  printed,  but  let  it  be  repeated  in 
every  quarter." 

Napoleon  in  vain  looked  for  a  more  yielding  spirit  in 
the  enemy.  A  second  "  expedition  of  the  Marne  "  was 
the  plan  of  the  tireless,  ubiquitous  genius  of  the  man 
who  has  no  equal  in  the  energies  of  body  and  mind, 
and  the  amazing  versatility  of  his  talent.  On  the  18th 
he  met  and  conquered  two  divisions  of  the  enemy  near 
Montereau,  and  secured  the  bridge  on  the  Seine.     His 


352  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

exposure  of  his  person  was  never  surpassed  by  the  com- 
monest soldier.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  erecting 
bridges,  and  crossing  an  ahnost  impassable  defile  ;  in  the 
midst  of  which  he  wrote  :  "  Tlie  Emperor  of  Russia  and 
the  King  of  Prussia  were  at  Bray,  As  soon  as  they 
heard  that  I  had  forced  tlie  bridge  of  Montereau,  they 
ran  away  as  fast  as  they  coukl.  Their  whole  army  is 
terrified.  The  three  sovereigns  spent  a  few  days  at 
Pont,  with  Madame.  They  intend  to  reach  Fontaine- 
bleau  to-morrow,  and  in  a  very  few  days,  Paris  :  they 
cannot  understand  what  is  taking  place.  To-day  we 
have  snow,  and  the  weather  is  rather  severe.  I  am 
sending  an  article  for  the  Moniteur  to  the  empress,  but 
you  may  put  into  the  Moniteur,  as  well  as  into  the 
other  newspapers,  under  the  head  of  Provins,  a  notice 
of  the  precipitation  witli  which  the  sovereigns  quitted 
Bray.  The  Austrians  protected  my  palace  at  Fontaine- 
blean  from  the  Cossacks.  We  have  taken  several  con- 
voys of  baggage  and  some  carriages  going  toward  Bray. 
Several  hundred  Cossacks  have  been  taken  in  the  forest 
of  Fontainebleau.  My  advanced  guard  will  reach  Bray 
to-morrow.'' 

As  indicated  in  this  language,  Napoleon  resorted 
now  to  the  system  of  terror.  Oudinot  and  Macdonald 
were  ordered  to  march  against  Schwartzenberg,  and  the 
troops  were  to  shout  "Vive  I'Empereur  !  "  when  in  the 
hearing  of  the  hostile  forces,  to  convey  the  impression 
that  the  mighty  commander  was  himself  advancing. 
From  Montereau  Napoleon  marched  to  Nogent,  thence 
by  way  of  Chartres  to  Troyes,  with  no  battles  except- 
ing a  hot  and  profitless  skirmish  with  Bluchcr  at  Mery, 
the  result  of  unforeseen  proximity.  There  was  during 
the  close  of  February  a  pause  in  the  emi^eror's  move- 
ments, for  the  twofold  reason  that  peace  was  possible, 
and  the  preceding  campaign,  distinguished  for  iuten- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  353 

sity  of  action,  made  repose  desirable.  Orleans  became 
terrified  at  the  ai:)proach  of  a  small  force,  and  he  dic- 
tated a  thrilling  appeal  to  arm  and  meet  the  assault, 
which  was  to  be  read  iu  the  name  of  the  empress.  He 
directed  placards  of  the  enemy's  atrocities  to  be  scat- 
tered through  Paris  ;  and  nothing  overlooked  Avhich 
might  arouse  tlie  people  to  the  final  struggle.  Joseph 
meanwhile  was  writing  sad  news  of  tiie  popular  unrest, 
the  rise  of  Bourbon  sympathy  at  Amiens,  the  crumbling 
administration ;  and  urging  peace.  In  dwelling  on 
these  alarming  facts,  he  adds,  with  subdued  expres- 
sions of  encouragement :  "  The  people  of  Paris,  hostile 
to  the  government  a  month  ago,  touched  by  your  maj- 
esty's confidence  in  trusting  your  wife  and  your  son  to 
them,  encouraged  and  astonished  by  your  majesty's 
successes,  are  yet  not  in  a  state  in  which  more  than 
mere  fidelity  and  obedience  can  be  expected.  They 
admire  your  genius,  but  they  can  be  excited  only  by 
the  hope  of  a  speedy  peace,  and  they  are  by  no  means 
inclined  to  oppose  any  effective  resistance  to  a  hostile 
army,  or  to  send  detachments  of  the  national  guard 
beyond  the  walls.  This,  sire,  is  the  exact  truth.  Your 
majesty  must  not  rely  on  an  exertion  greater  than  can 
fairly  be  expected  from  a  population  so  disposed. 

Augereau  failed,  at  this  crisis,  with  a  strange  and 
unaccountable  disregard  of  orders,  to  attack  the  allies 
in  flank,  and  march  on  to  Geneva  to  cut  off  their  com- 
munications ;  Avhicli  contributed  largely  to  the  ulti- 
mate disaster.  At  the  moment  Naj)oleon  was  expect- 
ing the  marshal  to  meet  Borghese  at  Chambry,  he  was 
exulting  in  the  success  of  stratagem,  which  he  thus  an- 
nounced in  the  despatch  :  *'  Terror  reigns  in  the  ranks 
of  the  enemy.  A  few  days  ago  they  thought  that  I  had 
no  army  ;  now  their  imagination  sticks  at  nothing  ; 
three  hundred  thousand  or  four  hundred  thousand  men 
?3 


354  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

are  not  enough  for  them.  They  fancied  that  I  had 
none  but  recruits  ;  they  now  say  that  I  have  collected 
all  my  veterans,  and  that  my  armies  consist  of  picked 
men  ;  that  the  French  army  is  better  than  ever,  etc. 
See  what  is  the  effect  of  terror.  The  Parisian  newspa- 
pers must  confirm  their  fears.  Newspapers  are  not  his- 
tory, any  more  than  bulletins  are  history  :  one  should  al- 
ways persuade  the  enemy  that  one's  forces  are  immense." 

He  also  took  advantage  of  the  neglect  of  the  allies  to 
confirm  the  treaty  with  Murat  of  security  to  his  throne, 
and  through  Joseph  made  a  last  effort  to  regain  the 
loyalty  and  cooperation  of  the  King  of  Naples. 

From  Troyes  he  advanced  northward  to  fall  upon 
Blucher,  leaving  Oudinot  and  Gerard  to  hold  Schwart- 
zenberg  in  check. 

Those  generals  were  defeated  soon  after.  The  em- 
peror, who  expected  to  find  the  enemy  before  Soissons, 
learned  on  the  4th  of  March  that  the  town  had  surren- 
dered. An  attack  on  the  position  failed,  and  on  the 
7th  he  gave  Blucher  battle  at  Craonne.  AVitli  victory  for 
tlie  moment,  he  pursued  the  Prussian  commander  to 
the  stronghold  of  Laon.  Upon  these  heiglits,  protected 
by  terrace-walls,  between  wliich  lay  the  fruitful  vine- 
yards, the  foe  were  intrenched,  and  through  the  mist 
which  covered  the  advancing  columns  of  the  French 
till  midway  on  the  slope,  poured  their  terrible  fire  into 
the  ranks  of  Napoleon.  Tlie  storm  of  balls  was  irre- 
sistible, and  retiring,  the  next  day,  March  11th,  they 
retreated  to  Chavignon,  leaving  thirty  cannon  and  ten 
thousand  men.  At  Soissons  he  commenced  strengthen- 
ing his  position  to  meet  Blucher,  when  tidings  that 
jilieims  was  taken  by  St.  Priest,  a  French  emigrant, 
with  a  Russian  corps,  readied  his  ear. 

He  immediately  and  rapidly  marched  thither,  and 
took  the  town  by  assault  at  midnight.     St.  Priest  was 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  355 

killed  by  the  same  artilleryman  that  directed  the  gun 
which  cut  Moreau  in  pieces  ;  and  drew  from  Napoleon 
the  remark,  ''  It  really  seems  like  a  stroke  of  Prov- 
idence." "While  these  things  were  transpiring  on  the 
field  of  conflict,  Joseph  was  tortured  with  anxiety 
among  the  restless  masses  at  home.  lie  Avrote  in  the 
following  pleading  tone  to  Napoleon  : 

''As  for  yon,  sire,  who  have  been  so  repeatedly  vic- 
torious, I  am  convinced  that  you  possess  all  the  quali- 
ties which  might  make  the  French  forget,  or  rather 
might  recall  to  them,  the  best  features  of  the  reigns  of 
Louis  XIL,  Henri  IV.,  and  Louis  XIV.,  if  you  will 
make  a  lasting  peace  with  Europe,  and  if,  returning 
to  your  natural  kindness,  and  renouncing  your  assumed 
character  and  your  perpetual  efforts,  you  will  at  last 
consent  to  relinquish  the  part  of  the  wonderful  man 
for  that  of  the  great  sovereign. 

"  After  having  saved  France  from  anarchy  within, 
and  from  all  Europe  without,  you  Avill  become  the 
father  of  your  people,  and  you  will  be  adored  as  much 
as  Louis  XII.,  after  having  been  admired  more  than 
Henri  IV.  and  Louis  XIV.  ;  and  in  order  thus  to  ac- 
cumulate every  species  of  glory,  you  have  only  to  will 
your  own  happiness,  as  well  as  that  of  France. 

:(:  :|<  4:  4:  :(: 

''The  result  of  all  that  I  hear  from  the  ministers, 
from  the  chief  officers  of  the  national  guards,  from  all 
the  persons  whom  I  know  to  be  attached  to  the  present 
order  of  government,  is,  that  circumstances  render 
peace  imperative.  There  is  not  one  individual  in  Paris 
who  would  not  loudly  ask  for  it  if  it  were  not  for  the 
fear  of  offending  you  ;  and,  in  truth,  none  but  your 
enemies  can  endeavor  to  persuade  you  to  refuse  a  peace 
with  the  ancient  limits.     The  month  of  March  is  slip- 


356  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

ping  iiwuy,  yet  the  fields  are  not  sown.  It  is  however 
superfluous  to  enter  into  further  details.  Your  majesty 
must  feel  that  there  is  no  longer  any  remedy  but  peace, 
and  an  immediate  peace.  Every  day  that  is  lost  is 
mischievous  to  our  personal  popularity.  Individual 
distress  is  extreme  ;  and  on  the  day  when  it  is  believed 
that  your  majesty  has  j)referred  prolonging  the  war  to 
making  even  a  disadvantageous  peace,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  disgust  will  incline  the  public  mind  in  an- 
other direction.  If  Toulouse  or  Bordeaux  should  set 
up  a  Bourbon,  you  will  have  civil  war,  and  the  im- 
mense population  of  Paris  will  suj^port  the  side  which 
promises  to  give  them  peace  soonest. 

''Such  is  the  state  of  opinion  ;  no  one  can  change  it. 
This  being  the  case,  the  only  way  is  to  submit.  If  the 
peace  be  unfavorable,  it  will  be  no  fault  of  yours,  as  all 
classes  here  insist  upon  it.  I  cannot  be  mistaken,  as 
my  view  is  that  of  all  the  world.  We  are  on  the  eve  of 
total  destruction  ;  our  only  hope  is  in  peace." 

Napoleon  Avas  four  days  at  Rheims,  from  which  he 
replied  to  the  complaints  of  his  brother  in  a  manner 
wholly  characteristic,  and  which  needs  no  comment  to 
prove  the  essential  selfishness  of  his  nature  beneath  all 
the  grander  displays  of  transcendent  abilities. 

NAPOLEON"   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  Rheims,  March  14,  1814. 

**  My  Brothee — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
12th  of  March.  1  am  sorry  that  you  repeated  to  the 
Duke  of  Conegliano  what  I  had  written  to  you.  I  do 
not  like  all  this  gossip.  If  it  suited  me  to  remove  the 
Duke  of  Conegliano,  all  the  idle  talk  of  Paris  would 
have  no  effect.  The  national  guard  of  Paris  is  a  part 
of  the  people  of  France,  and,  as  long  as  I  live,  I  will 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  357 

be  master  everywhere  in  France.  Your  character  is 
opposed  to  mine  ;.you  like  to  flatter  people,  and  to 
yield  to  their  wishes  ;  I  like  them  to  try  to  please  me, 
and  to  obey  my  wishes.  I  am  as  much  a  sovereign 
now  as  I  was  at  Austerlitz.  Do  not  permit  any  person 
to  flatter  the  national  guard,  nor  Regnaud,  nor  any 
one  else,  to  set  himself  uji  as  their  tribune.  I  suppose, 
however,  that  they  see  that  there  is  some  difference  be- 
tween the  time  of  La  Fayette,  when  the  people  ruled, 
and  the  present  time,  when  I  rule. 

"  I  have  issued  a  decree  for  raising  twelve  battalions 
in  Paris  out  of  the  levee  en  masse.  On  no  pretext  must 
the  execution  of  this  measure  be  delayed.  I  have 
written  my  wishes  on  this  subject  to  the  ministers  of 
the  Interior  and  of  the  Police.  If  the  people  find  that, 
instead  of  doing  what  is  for  their  good,  one  is  trying 
to  please  them,  it  is  quite  natural  that  they  should 
think  that  they  have  the  upper  hand,  and  that  they 
should  entertain  but  a  mean  oiDinion  of  those  in  author- 
ity over  them.*' 

K"APOLEOX  TO   JOSEPH. 

"Rheims,  March  16,  1814. 

*'In  accordance  with  the  verbal  instructions  which  I 
gave  to  you,  and  with  the  spirit  of  all  my  letters,  you 
must  not  allow,  happen  what  may,  the  empress  and  the 
King  of  Rome  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  maneuvers  which  I  am  about  to  make  may  possi- 
bly prevent  your  hearing  from  me  for  several  days. 
If  the  enemy  should  march  on  Paris  with  so  strong  a 
force  as  to  render  resistance  impossible,  send  off  to- 
wards the  Loire  the  regent,  my  son,  the  great  digni- 
taries, the  ministers,  the  senators,  the  president  of  the 
Conseil  d'Etat,  the  chief  officers  of  the  crown,  and 
Baron  de  la  Bouillerie,  with  the  money  which  is  in  my 


358  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

treasury.  Never  lose  siglit  of  my  son,  mid  remember, 
that  I  would  rather  know  that  he  was  in  the  Seine, 
than  that  he  was  in  tlie  hands  of  the  enemies  of 
France  :  the  fate  of  Astyanax,  prisoner  to  the  Greeks, 
has  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  most  lamentablo 
in  history.'* 

Wellington,  with  the  Spanish  hero,  Mina,  had  taken 
Bordeaux,  invested  Bayonne,  and  was  sweeping  victori- 
ously onward  to  the  interior  of  France.  "  iVnd  such  a 
flood  of  soldiers  as  had  not  been  seen  since  the  Crusades, 
poured  over  France,  and  against  one  formidable  man." 

The  once  sublime  solitary  monarch  in  self-reliance 
and  magical  supremacy,  was  now  like  tlie  surrounded 
and  yet  defiant  lion,  chafing  against  restraint,  and 
doubtful  in  what  direction  to  make  the  desperate  at- 
tempt at  escape.  Should  he  press  on  after  Blucher, 
Schwartzenberg  would  hasten  to  Paris  before  he  could 
return,  if  victorious.  If  he  encountered  the  latter, 
Blucher  would  dash  onward  to  the  Tuilleries.  He  de- 
cided to  do  neither,  but  march  into  the  rear  of  the  grand 
army,  and,  by  the  terror  of  his  name  and  skilful  ma- 
neuvering, direct  and  paralyze  their  movements  toward 
Paris.  On  the  20th  he  was  at  Arcis-sur-Aube,  where 
Schwartzenberg  gave  him  battle,  and  was  beaten  back 
with  desperate  valor.  He  was  two  hundred  miles  from 
the  capital,  with  both  the  generals  of  the  allied  forces 
between  him  and  that  city. 

The  22d  he  reached  Vitry,  in  the  path  of  the  enemy, 
and  summoned  the  commandant  to  surrender  in  vain. 
The  next  day  lie  was  at  St.  Dizier,  and  subsequently 
had  sharp  skirniislies  with  the  divisions  left  to  watch 
his  progress.  Tidings  reached  him  that  tlie  main  col- 
umns of  the  allies  were  rapidly  approaching  Paris.  Ho 
then  pushed  forward  with  a  superhuman  energy,  and 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPAliTK.  35O 

reached  Troyes  on  the  29th,  having  marched  fifty  miles 
in  a  single  day.  Early  in  the  morning  with  the  remnant 
of  his  guard  he  advanced  a  short  distance,  and  then 
leaving  tliom^  he  took  a  liglit  carriage,  and,  accompanied 
by  Caulainconrt  and  Berthier,  passed  through  Sens  at 
dead  of  night,  ordering  rations  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  troops,  who  he  affirmed  were  advancing, 
and  arrived  at  La  Cour  de  France,  ten  miles  from  Paris, 
March  31st. 

"  Now,  if  one  of  the  marshals  had  been  in  command 
— if  he  had  had  to  report  tliat  sucli  had  been  the  employ- 
ment of  the  last  army,  and  the  last  month,  of  the  em- 
pire— what  would  have  been  the  storm  of  reproach  and 
invective  with  which  he  would  have  been  assailed  by 
Napoleon  ! 

The  ill-success  of  the  first  fortnight  may  be  excused. 
In  his  desperate  state  Napoleon  was  forced  to  run  great 
risks,  and  the  defeat  of  Blucher  would  have  been  a 
glorious  prize.  But  from  the  time  that  he  marched 
eastward,  to  the  rear  of  Schwartzenberg,  he  seems  to 
have  wandered  without  any  definite  plan,  at  least  witli- 
out  any  definite  militarj'  plan.  He  relied  on  the  terror 
of  his  name.  He  had  so  often  repeated  that  ''in  war 
moral  force  is  everything,"  that  he  seems  to  have  be- 
lieved it  to  be  literally  true.  He  believed  that  all  the 
armies  that  were  advancing  on  Paris  would  turn  back 
as  soon  as  they  found  that  he  was  in  their  rear,  and 
would  follow  him  till  he  could  be  succored  by  his  gar- 
risons on  the  Ehine.  In  this  expectation  he  marched 
and  countermarched,  approached  Vitry  on  the  22d,  was 
in  St.  Dizier  on  the  23d,  left  it  on  the  24th,  returned 
to  it  on  the  26th,  tried  Vitry  again  on  the  27th,  and 
awoke  from  his  dream  on  the  28th  to  find  that,  while  he 
was  in  Lorraine,  the  allies  were  within  a  march  of 
Paris.'' 


360  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

In  Paris  terror  and  confusion  reigned.  "  The  terri- 
fied population  of  the  country  between  Meaux  and 
Paris  came  pouring  into  the  capital,"  says  an  eye-wit- 
ness, "  with  their  aged,  infirm,  children,  cats,  dogs, 
live-stock,  corn,  hay,  and  household  goods  of  every  de- 
scription. The  boulevards  were  crowded  with  wagons, 
carts,  and  carriages  thus  laden,  to  which  cattle  were 
tied,  and  the  Avhole  surrounded  with  women." 

The  empress  had  fled,  attended  with  seven  hundred 
soldiers,  leaving  only  the  national  guard  in  the  city  ; 
and  with  a  train  of  wagons  laden  with  plate  and  money, 
reached  Eambouillet.  She  there  addressed  a  note  to 
Joseph  : 

MAEIA    LOUISE   TO   JOSEPH. 

"  Rambouillet,  March  29  ;  5}^  p.m. 

"  My  Dear  Brother — I  have  this  instant  reached 
Eambouillet,  very  sad  and  very  harassed.  It  would  be 
very  kind  if  you  would  let  me  know  what  is  going  on, 
and  whether  the  enemy  has  advanced.  I  wait  for  your 
answer  before  I  decide  whether  I  ought  to  go  farther 
or  to  remain  here.  If  I  ought  to  move  I  beg  you  to 
tell  me  what  place  you  think  would  be  best  and  safest 
for  me.  I  earnestly  wish  that  you  could  write  to  me 
to  return  to  Paris  ;  it  is  the  thing  of  all  others  which 
w^ould  give  me  most  pleasure.  A  thousand  remem- 
brances to  the  queen.  Pray  believe  in  the  sincere 
friendship  with  which  I  am  your  most  afEectiouate 
sister." 

Marmont  and  Mortier  made  a  fruitless,  though  brave 
resistance,  U]3  to  the  very  walls  of  the  capital.  The 
30th  was  a  fearful  day.  From  Montniartre,  and  other 
heights,  tlie  allies  poured  tlie  cannonade  into  the 
streets.  Officers  were  despatched  witli  flags  of  truce 
to  beg  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  but  in  the  terrific 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  801 

Biege,  they  were  shot  down  upon  the  intervening  plain. 
At  5  o'clock  p.  M,,  the  capitulation  was  signed.  At  La 
Cour  de  France,  General  Belliard  came  up  with  his  ex- 
hausted, despairing  cavalry.  On  the  way  to  Fontaine- 
bleau.  Napoleon  learned  that  he  was  too  late,  and 
springing  from  his  carriage  inquired  with  agitation, 
*'What  means  this?  Wliy  here  with  your  cavalry, 
Belliard  ?  And  where  are  the  enemy  ?  "Where  are  my 
wife  and  my  boy  ?  Where  Marmont  ?  Where  Mor- 
tier?*'  Belliard,  walking  by  his  side,  told  him  the 
events  of  the  day.  He  called  out  for  his  carriage — 
and  insisted  on  continuing  his  journey.  The  general 
in  vain  informed  him  that  there  was  no  longer  an  army 
in  Paris  ;  that  the  regulars  were  all  coming  behind, 
and  that  neither  they  nor  he  himself,  having  left  the 
city  in  consequence  of  a  convention,  could  possibly  re- 
turn to  it.  The  emperor  still  demanded  his  carriage, 
and  bade  Belliard  turn  with  the  cavalry  and  follow  him. 
"  Come,"  said  he,  "  we  must  to  Paris — nothing  goes 
aright  when  I  am  away — they  do  nothing  but  blunder.'* 
With  such  exclamations  Bonaparte  hurried  onward, 
dragging  Belliard  with  him  until  they  were  met,  a  mile 
from  La  Cour  de  France,  by  the  first  of  the  retreating 
infantry.  Their  commander.  General  Curial,  gave  the 
same  answers  as  Belliard.  *'  In  proceeding  to  Paris," 
said  he,  ''you  rush  on  death  or  captivity." 

But  soon,  seeing  the  dreaded  reality  of  overthrow, 
he  resumed  his  calmness,  sent  Caulaincourt  to  Paris, 
to  accept  whatever  terms  might  be  offered,  and  hast- 
ened to  the  old  castle  of  Fontainebleau.  In  the  still- 
ness of  a  secluded  apartment,  he  laid  down  to  repose  ; 
exchanging  the  dreams  of  greatness  for  the  feverish 
thoughts  of  a  fallen  monarch,  wlio  had  given  away 
thrones  and  kingdoms,  but  was  now  an  exile  from  his 
own  palace. 


362  LIi*'E  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

Caulaincourt  secures  an  interview  with  the  Czar  of  Russia.— Scenes  in 
the  capital.— Correspondence  between  Napoleon  and  Joseph.— The  ab- 
dication.— The  royal  debate  upon  the  disposal  of  the  fallen  emperor. — 
Marmont's  treachery. — The  conditions  of  the  allies.— Joseph  urges 
peace. — Napoleon's  anguish. — Attempts  suicide. — Adieu  to  his  army. — 
Josephine  and  Maria  Louise. — Napoleon  embarks  for  Elba.— Tlie  return 
of  Louis  XVIII. — His  reign. —Napoleon  at  Elba. — His  return  to  France. — 
The  tidings  reach  Talleyrand  on  the  eve  of  a  ball. — Vain  attempt  to 
regain  the  empress  and  her  son. — Letters. — The  exile  again  on  the 
throne. — The  allies  enter  the  field. — Napoleon  leads  the  French  army.— 
The  plan  of  the  campaign.— The  battles  of  Ligny  and  Quatre-Bras.— 
Waterloo.- The  charge  of  the  Old  Guard. — The  victory  of  Wellington.— 
The  flight  of  Napoleon. — He  reaches  the  Elysee. — The  meeting  of  the 
Chambers.— The  debates. — The  abdication. 

The  same  night  in  which  the  emperor  was  alone  at 
Fontaineblean,  Canlaincourt  rode  in  the  larid  light  of 
the  camp-fires  around  the  capital,  towards  the  head- 
quarters of  the  allied  kings.  It  was  the  first  of  April, 
when  the  dawn  broke  upon  the  tumultuous  city.  The 
Duke  of  Yicenza  was  repulsed,  and  an  audience  with 
Alexander,  who  retained  some  show  of  interest  in 
Napoleon,  seemed  impossible,  when  unexpectedly 
meeting  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  the  czar's 
brother,  with  whom  he  was  familiar  at  St.  Petersburg, 
he  was  conveyed  in  disguise  to  the  royal  presence. 
With  Alexander  he  passed  several  hours.  He  was 
awhile  alone  in  the  apartment  of  the  palace  of  the 
Elysee,  occupied  by  Napoleon  for  sleeping,  where  he 
found  private  papers,  plans,  and  maps  left  by  his  sov- 
ereign, and  committed  them  to  the  flames.  During 
three  hours  the  triumjihal  procession  avus  moving 
through  Paris  ;  fifty  thousand  troops — cavalry  and  in- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  303 

fantry,  all  finely  equipped,  and  surrounding  the  niun- 
archs  and  princes  in  splendid  array — marclied  alnn'r 
the  Boulevards. 

Strengthened  by  the  influence  of  Talleyrand,  and 
the  tract  of  Chateaubriand,  entitled  '''  Of  Bonaparte 
and  the  Bourbons,"  the  royalists  rallied  at  the  entrance 
of  the  allies,  and  from  the  moving,  mighty  throng  of 
excited  people,  were  heard  the  shouts,  "Vivel'Empe- 
reur  Alexander  \"  "Vive  le  Roi  de  Prusse  I"  "Vive 
le  Roi  ! "  "  Vive  Louis  X VIIL  ! "  "  Vivent  les  Bour- 
bons!" The  white  cockades  of  the  Bourbons,  were 
scattered  through  the  multitude,  while  silent  groups 
on  every  hand,  declared  the  grief  of  the  many  hearts 
still  devoted  to  the  fallen  idol  of  France. 

As  night  came  down,  the  scene  was  grotesque  and 
wild  in  the  extreme.  Every  tongue,  and  people,  and 
costume  were  mingled  in  the  uncertain  light,  while  in 
the  Elysian  Fields,  the  Cossacks  held  their  savage 
jubilee  around  their  bivouac  fires.  It  was  midniglit 
when  Caulaincourt  returned  to  Fontainebleau,  and  in- 
formed iSTapoleon  that  the  only  promise  of  peace,  was 
in  the  surrender  of  his  crown  in  favor  of  his  son — in 
a  word  nothing  short  of  abdication  would  be  accepted 
by  the  monarchs  who  had  battled  for  the  restoratirui 
of  the  dethroned  dynasty  swept  away  on  the  volcanic 
tide  of  revolution. 

The  two  brothers,  who  continued  their  friendship 
in  these  calamitous  times,  exchanged  messages,  whicli 
present  them  in  an  unenviable,  less  imposing  asj^ect 
than  when  viewed  in  the  turmoil  of  public  events  : 

ISTAPOLEON  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  Fontainebleau,  April  2, 1814. 

"  I  desired  the  grand  marshal  to  write  to  you  on 
the  necessity   of  not   crowding  into   Blois.     Let  the 


364  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

King  of  Westphalia  go  to  Brittany  or  toward  Bour- 
ges.  I  think  that  Madame  had  better  join  her  daugh- 
ters at  Nice,  and  Queen  Julie  aud  your  children  pro- 
ceed to  Marseilles.  The  Princess  of  Neufchatel  and 
the  marshals'  wives  should  go  and  live  on  their  es- 
tates. It  is  natural  that  King  Louis,  who  has  always 
liked  hot  climates,  should  go  to  Montpellier.  As  few 
persons  as  possible  should  be  on  the  Loire,  and  let 
every  one  settle  himself  quietly,  without  attracting 
attention.  A  large  colony  always  excites  a  sensation  in 
the  neighborhood.  The  Province  road  is  now  open — 
it  may  not  remain  so  for  one  day.  Among  the  other 
ministers  you  do  not  mention  the  minister  of  police. 
Has  he  reached  you  ?  I  do  not  know  whether  the  min- 
ister of  war  has  his  cipher.  I  have  none  with  you, 
and  as  this  is  the  case  I  cannot  write  to  you  on  impor- 
tant subjects. 

"  Advise  everybody  to  observe  the  strictest  econ- 
omy." 

JOSEPH  TO  KAPOLEO]Sr. 

"  Blois,  April  3,  1814. 

"  Sire — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2d. 
Mamma  and  Louis  are  ready  to  fulfil  your  wishes. 
Mamma  is  in  want  of  money  ;  six  months  of  her  pen- 
sion is  due.  Neither  has  Jerome  any  money.  My 
wife  has  no  longer  any  friends  at  Marseilles.  What 
occasions  our  train  to  appear  so  large  is  the  number 
of  empty  carriages  belonging  to  the  court.  I  have  re- 
ceived no  letter  from  the  grand  marshal  on  tiiis  sub- 
ject or  on  any  other.  The  minister  of  police  has  re- 
turned hither  from  Tours.  Tlie  council  to-day  were 
unanimous  in  its  opinions  and  wishes.  AYe  are  wait- 
ing for  your  majesty's  decision  as  to  the  place  of  resi- 
dence. May  the  fears  which  have  been  excited  by  tlie 
Duke  of  Vicenza's   report  never  be   realized !      The 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  305 

minister  of  war  has  no  ciplier  witli  your  majesty,  nor 
have  I.  The  ministers  of  the  treasury  and  of  finance 
know  no  longer  how  to  discharge  their  duties.  M.  de 
la  Bouillerie  asks  for  orders  to  ensure  the  safety  of  his 
convoy.  One  of  his  fourgons,  containing  two  millions, 
has  reached  Orleans  ;  it  was  left  in  Paris  when  the 
empress  went  awa\^  Might  not  Jerome  be  sent  to 
command  the  army  at  Lyons  ?  " 

Talleyrand  joined  Avith  all  his  heart  the  cause  of 
Louis  XVIIL,  and  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
visional government.  Nesselrode,  the  czar's  minister, 
was  decidedly  in  favor  of  a  regency,  securing  the  crowu 
to  the  young  King  of  Rome.  The  Senate  followed  the 
treacherous  Talleyrand,  and  passed  a  decree  deposing 
Napoleon.  The  emperor  reviewed  his  troops  on  the 
3d  of  April,  amid  the  shouts,  '*  To  Paris — to  Paris  ! " 
A  council  of  officers,  civil  and  military,  dispelled  the 
last  illusion  from  his  mind.  They  declared  that  any 
further  struggle  was  fruitless — all  was  lost.  With 
words  of  mournful  rebuke,  he  retired  to  his  room,  and, 
after  hours  of  agonizing  deliberation,  he  summoned 
Caulaincourt,  and  handed  him  the  following  abdication, 
saying,  with  the  air  of  a  conqueror  chained,  but  not 
submitting,  '^  Depart,  Caulaincourt ;  depart  immedi- 
ately." 

"  The  allied  forces  having  proclaimed  that  the 
Emperor  Napoleon  is  the  sole  obstacle  to  the  rees- 
tablishment  of  peace  in  Europe,  he,  faithful  to  his 
oath,  declares  that  he  is  ready  to  descend  from  the 
thi'one,  to  quit  France,  and  even  to  relinquish  life,  for 
the  good  of  his  country,  which  is  inseparable  from  the 
rights  of  his  son,  from  those  of  the  regency  in  the 
person  of  the  empress,  and  from  the  maintenance  of 


3^6  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

the  laws  of  the  empire.     ])oue  at  our  palace  of  Fon- 
tainebleau,  April  4th,  1814. 

*'Xapoleon." 

In  the  hotel  of  Talleyrand  the  abdication  was  dis- 
cussed, and  Alexander  expressed  his  astonishment  that 
there  were  no  conditions  in  behalf  of  Napoleon  person- 
ally, and  added,  "But  I  have  been  his  friend,  and  I 
will  willingly  be  his  advocate.  I  propose  that  he  should 
retain  his  imperial  title,  with  the  sovereignty  of  Elba, 
or  some  other  island."  The  counsel  of  the  czar  pre- 
vailed against  the  wishes  of  the  Bourbons,  who  desired 
a  more  secure  and  remote  j^rison  for  the  illustrious  suc- 
cessor of  the  murdered  Louis. 

Marmont  had  forsaken  the  fortunes  of  Napoleon — 
the  final  blow  of  unpitying  misfortune  upon  his  crown- 
less  brow.  The  marshal  concealed  the  plot  from  his 
men  nntil  the  morning  of  the  5th,  when  they  com- 
menced their  march  toward  Paris  ;  "  and  for  the  first 
time  suspected  the  secret  views  of  their  chief,  when 
they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  the  allied  lines, 
and  watched  on  all  sides  by  overwhelming  numbers  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Versailles.  A  violent  commotion 
ensued  ;  some  blood  was  shed  ;  but  the  necessity  of 
submission  was  so  obvious,  that  ere  long  they  resumed 
the  appearance  of  order,  and  were  cantoned  in  quiet  in 
the  midst  of  the  allies. 

"  This  piece  of  intelligence  was  followed  by  more  of 
like  complexion.  Officers  of  all  ranks  began  to  abandon 
the  camp  at  Fontainebleau,  and  present  themselves  to 
swear  allegiance  to  the  new  government.  Talleyrand 
said  wittily,  when  some  one  called  Marmont  a  traitor, 
'  His  watch  only  went  a  little  faster  than  the  others.' " 

The  allies  sent  their  acceptance  of  nothing  less  than 
an  unconditional  abdication,  with  these  concessions  ; 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  367 

1st.  The  imperial  title  to  bo  preserved  by  Xapoleon, 
with  the  free  sovereignty  of  Elba,  guards,  and  a  navy 
suitable  to  the  extent  of  that  island,  and  a  pension, 
from  France,  of  six  millions  of  francs  annually.  2d, 
The  duchies  of  Parma,  Placentia,  and  Guastalla  to  be 
granted  in  sovereignty  to  ]\Inria  Louisa  and  her  heirs  ; 
and  3d.  Two  millions  and  a  half  of  francs  annually  to 
be  paid  by  the  French  government,  in  pensions  to 
Josephine  and  the  other  members  of  the  Bonaparte 
family,  Napoleon  was  still  undecided  whether  to  yield 
all,  when  he  received  the  subjoined  and  suggestive 
letter : 

JOSEPH   TO    ]^APOLEO]S', 

"  Orleans,  April  10, 1814. 

"  Sire — I  wrote  to  yon  yesterday  that  we  should 
be  here  to-day,  and  here  we  actually  are.  General 
Schuwaloff,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia, 
accompanied  the  empress.  He  came  to  Blois  yesterday 
with  M.  de  Saint-Aignan,  who  said  nothing  on  the 
subject  of  his  mission.  If  what  is  reported  should 
prove  true,  and  the  Bourbons  should  be  called  to  the 
throne,  I  am  most  anxious  not  to  be  obliged  to  ask 
anything  from  them,  I  could  not  possibly  live  in 
France,  nor  could  I  take  my  wife  and  children  to  the 
island  of  Elba.  If  sad  necessity  should  force  your 
majesty  thither,  I  will  go  to  visit  you,  and  to  jjrove  to 
you  my  attachment ;  but  it  will  not  be  until  I  have 
placed  my  wife  and  children  in  safety  on  the  continent, 

*'A11  that  takes  place,  sire,  justifies  my  old  and 
fatal  predictions.  You  must  take  a  decided  course, 
and  put  an  end  to  this  cruel  agony.  AVhy  not  appeal 
to  Austria  if  necessary  ?  Your  son  is  the  grandson  of 
Francis.  Why  not  speak  the  truth  openly  to  France, 
and  at  length  proclaim  peace,  abolish  the  conscription 


368  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  the  droits  reiuiis,  issue  a  general  amnesty,  and 
adopt  a  real  constitutional  monarchy  ?  France  wishes 
for  peace  and  a  liberal  monarchy,  but  she  does  not 
wish  for  Bourbons.  She  prefers  tliem  to  perpetual 
war,  but  she  receives  them  only  as  a  punishment,  to 
which  she  resigns  herself  because  she  is  beaten. 

**M.  Faypoult  has  just  returned  from  Italy;  the 
army  there  is  in  excellent  order  ;  the  viceroy  is  quietly 
atiMantua;  the  King  of  Naples  prays  for  your  success, 
if  you  desire  universal  peace  and  the  independence  of 
Italy.  A  single  effort  might  perhaps  extricate  France 
from  the  abyss  into  which  she  is  falling.  An  immedi- 
ate decision  with  regard  both  to  military  affairs  and  to 
politics  may  perhaps  repair  all  in  favor  of  your  son  ; 
be  bold  enough  to  try  it.  Save  the  state  from  imminent 
danger  by  getting  rid  of  princes  who  will  revive  old 
hatreds,  and  inflict  a  fresh  injury  upon  the  country  by 
internal  disturbances,  brought  on  by  the  pride  of  the 
old  nobility  and  the  vanity  of  the  new,  and  the  character 
of  the  peojile  raised  by  the  revolution  to  a  level  at  which 
Ave  may  lament  that  it  was  not  left. 

"  The  Cossacks  have  appeared  on  the  road  from 
Beaugency  to  Orleans,  and  robbed  some  of  the  car- 
riages belonging  to  the  convoy." 

The  next  day,  when  the  allies  were  threatening 
Fontainebleau,  Napoleon  gave  his  signature  to  the 
dreaded  instrument ;  renouncing  for  himself  and  his 
heirs  the  thrones  of  France  and  of  Italy.  His  anguish 
at  the  moment  is  described  as  intense  beyond  expres- 
sion. But  why  such  agony,  if  in  the  conscientious  de- 
votion of  his  energies  to  the  disinterested  work  of  ele- 
vating the  people,  Avith  no  care  for  personal  glory,  he 
had  been  overAvhelmed,  and  his  mission  prematurely 
closed  ? 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  369 

He  grieved  for  France,  but  a  heart  of  vast  ambition 
was  writhing  under  the  deeper  wounds  to  his  pride, 
and  the  dark  eclipse  of  his  radiant  star  of  destiny. 

That  he  attempted  suicide  in  his  despair,  is  a  charge 
that  cannot  be  intelligently  denied.  To  evade  this 
unpleasant  fact,  a  late  historian  omits  the  part  of  Caul- 
aincourt's  testimony  which  proves  it.  In  regard  to 
Napoleon's  alarming  illness  at  this  time,  Caulaincourt 
adds  in  his  narrative  :  '*  He  refused  all  assistance  poor 
Constance  strove  to  give  him.  Ivan  *  was  called. 
AVhen  the  emperor  saw  him,  he  said  :  '  Ivan,  the  dose 
was  not  strong  enough.'  Tlien  it  was  they  acquired 
the  sad  certainty  that  he  had  taken  poison." 

April  20th,  he  summoned  his  officers  about  him,  to 
give  his  sad  farewell.  He  thus  addressed  them  :  '•'  For 
you,  gentlemen,  I  am  no  longer  to  be  with  you  ; — you 
have  another  government ;  and  it  will  become  you  to 
attach  yourselves  to  it  frankly,  and  serve  it  as  faithfully 
as  you  have  served  me." 

He  then  called  before  him  the  relics  of  the  Old 
Guard.  He  surveyed  them  as  they  were  drawn  up  in 
the  courtyard  of  the  castle,  with  tears.  Dismounting, 
he  advanced  toward  them,  and  said,  with  strong 
emotion  :  "All  Europe  has  armed  against  me.  France 
herself  has  deserted  me,  and  chosen  another  dynasty. 
I  might,  with  ray  soldiers,  have  maintained  a  civil  war 
for  years — but  it  would  have  rendered  France  unhappy. 
Be  faithful  to  the  new  sovereign  whom  your  country 
has  chosen.  Do  not  lament  my  fate  :  I  shall  always 
be  happy  while  I  know  that  you  are  so.  I  could  have 
died — nothing  was  easier — but  I  will  always  follow 
the  path  of  honor.  I  will  record  with  my  pen  the 
deeds  we  have  done  together.  I  cannot  embrace  you 
all,  but  I  embrace   your  general.     Bring   hither  the 

*  The  physician. 
24 


370  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

eagle.  Beloved  eagle  !  may  the  kisses  I  bestow  on  you 
long  resound  in  the  hearts  of  the  brave  !  Farewell, 
my  children — farewell,  my  brave  companions — surround 
me  once  more — farewell  !  " 

This  adieu  touched  every  heart,  and  amid  the  si- 
lent but  profound  grief  of  these  brave  men,  submitting 
like  himself  to  the  irresistible  force  of  events,  Napoleon 
placed  himself  in  his  carriage,  and  drove  rapidly  from 
Fontainebleau. 

Of  all  that  lamented  the  fall  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  there  was  perhaps  no  one  who  slied  bitterer  tears 
than  the  neglected  wife  of  his  youth.  Josephine  had 
fled  from  Paris  on  the  approach,  of  the  allies ;  but 
being  assured  of  the  friendly  protection  of  Alexander, 
returned  to  Malmaison  ere  Napoleon  quitted  Fontaine- 
bleau. The  czar  visited  her  frequently,  and  endeavored 
to  soothe  her  affliction.  But  the  ruin  of  "  her  Achilles," 
"  her  Cid  "  (as  she  now  once  more,  in  the  day  of  misery, 
called  Napoleon),  had  entered  deep  into  her  heart. 
She  sickened  and  died  before  the  allies  left  France. 

Maria  Louisa,  meanwhile,  and  her  son,  were  taken 
under  the  personal  protection  of  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, and  had  begun  their  journey  to  Vienna  some  time 
ere  Bonaparte  reached  Elba. 

Four  commissioners,  one  from  each  of  the  great 
allied  powers,  Austria,  Eussia,  Prussia,  and  England, 
accompanied  Bonaparte  on  his  journey.  lie  was  at- 
tended by  Bertrand,  grand  master  of  the  palace,  and 
some  other  attached  friends  and  servants  ;  and  while 
fourteen  carriages  were  conveying  him  and  his  imme- 
diate suite  toward  Elba,  seven  hundred  infantry  and 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  cavalry  of  the  imperial 
gunrd,  all  picked  men,  and  all  volunteers,  marched 
in  tlio  same  direction,  to  take  on  them  the  military 
duties  of  the  exiled  court. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  S71 

The  journey  of  seven  hundred  miles  to  Frejus,  the 
port  of  embarkation,  was  performed  in  seven  days, 
amid  demonstrations  of  affection  from  the  people. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th,  on  board  the  British 
frigate  the  Undaioifed,  he  was  bound  for  Elba ;  and 
May  3d,  at  sunset,  the  island  rose  from  the  haze  of 
the  distant  horizon  upon  his  view.  Distributing  a 
purse  to  the  crew,  he  landed  under  a  salute  from  the 
batter}^,  at  Porto  Ferrajo,  the  chief  town  of  his  sea- 
girdled  land  of  exile.  With  a  circumference  of  sixty 
miles,  mountainous,  rocky,  and  much  of  it  barren, 
Elba  lies  solitary  on  the  bosom  of  the  Mediterranean, 
two  hundred  miles  from  France.  Napoleon  immedi- 
ately explored  every  valley  and  ravine,  and  with  his 
restless  energies  planned  manifold  improvements.  He 
often  reviewed  the  few  hundred  veteran  soldiers  who 
attended  him  to  the  island,  and  frequented  his  farm 
a  few  miles  from  Ferrajo.  Thousands  from  Europe 
visited  Elba,  attracted  thither  by  the  presence  of  the 
illustrious  captain. 

Louis  XVIII.,  the  brother  of  the  slain  monarch,  an 
aged  gouty  man,  from  his  exile  in  England,  went  to 
the  throne  of  France,  by  a  decree  of  the  Senate.  The 
policy  of  Xapoleon  was  formally  continued  in  the  con- 
ditions of  his  restoration  ;  but  soon  the  ancient  order 
of  things  was  apparent,  and  the  cherished  principle  of 
the  divine  right  of  kings,  was  declared  in  all  his  acts. 
Whatever  the  privileges  secured,  they  were  his  sover- 
eign gift,  and  not  the  inalienable  right  of  the  people. 
He  blotted  out  in  the  date  of  his  royal  edicts,  the  rec- 
ognition of  any  legitimate  authority  from  the  dawn  of 
the  revolution  to  the  abdication.  The  allies  in  their 
triumph  released  unconditionally  the  prisoners  of  war, 
giving  to  France  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
veteran  troops,  with  the  memory  of  former  victories, 


372  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

and  answering  to  the  story  of  disaster  they  heard  on 
every  hand,  "  These  things  would  never  have  hap- 
pened had  we  been  here."  The  corpulent  old  king 
made  a  most  unfortunate  contrast  to  himself,  with  the 
manly,  energetic,  fascinating  Napoleon.  And  during 
the  summer  of  1814,  the  murmurs  of  discontent  rose 
round  the  Bourbon  throne,  and  reached  the  mightier 
prince,  even  in  exile. 

The  mother  of  the  emperor,  and  his  sister  Pauline 
joined  him,  and  cheered  his  captivity.  Between  him 
and  Sir  Neil  Campbell,  the  English  commissioner,  from 
a  pleasant  intercourse  at  first,  there  arose  a  cold  and 
formal  distance — his  government  refusing  to  acknowl- 
edge the  imperial  title,  while  his  office  became  essen- 
tially that  of  reporter  to  his  cabinet  at  home.  Napo- 
leon hated  both. 

In  February,  1815,  Baron  Chabonlon,  once  a  member 
of  Napoleon's  Council  of  State,  visited  Elba,  in  disguise, 
to  confer  with  him  respecting  affairs  in  the  realm. 
After  long  conversations,  the  Baron  assured  him  that 
France  was  ripe  for  revolution,  and  would  receive  him 
back  with  exultation.  The  27th  came,  and  with  it  the 
hasty  preconcerted  embarkation  of  the  emperor,  with 
his  thousand  followers,  in  the  hv'ig  Inconstant  and  three 
small  merchant  vessels. 

It  is  a  significant  circumstance,  that  the  Uiidanated, 
an  English  ship,  bore  him  to  Elba,  and  the  Inconstant 
restored  him  to  the  transient  smiles  of  fortune. 

Upon  the  last  day  of  February,  the  Zephyr,  a  French 
brig  of  war,  was  seen  sailing  directly  for  the  Inconstant. 
The  captain  inquired  after  the  emperor's  health. 
Napoleon,  taking  the  trumpet  from  the  officer's  hand, 
shouted  back,  "  He  is  marvelously  well."  Other  vessels 
passing  in  sight  awakened  momentary  fears  ;  but 
March  1st  he  landed  at  Cannes,  where  he  first  reached 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  373 

the  coast  of  France  from  the  campaign  in  Egypt,  and 
at  which  he  embarked  for  Elba,  ten  months  before. 

"  Wherever  he  passed  he  was  greeted  with  accla- 
mations. He  went  on  triumphantly  from  point  to 
point — his  army  augmenting  at  every  step  till  he 
reached  Grenoble,  Avhicli  threw  open  its  gates  ;  and 
reviewing  seven  thousand  men,  he  pressed  on  toward 
Lyons,  which  held  at  that  moment  a  powerful  force 
under  Marshal  Macdonald,  and  Monsieur,  the  heir  of 
the  empire. 

"  Meantime,  the  Congress  of  Vienna  that  had  been 
so  long  in  session  they  had  began  to  fight  over  the  divi- 
sion of  the  spoils  of  conquered  nations,  were  astounded 
by  the  news  that  IS'apoleon  had  landed  in  France  and 
was  marching  on  Paris  ! 

"  The  emperor  resumed  at  Lyons  the  administration 
of  his  empire,  having  already  by  his  eloquent  procla- 
mations electrified  France.  To  the  soldiers  he  said 
— '  Take  again  the  eagles  you  followed  at  Ulm,  Aus- 
terlitz,  Jena,  and  Montmirail.  Come  range  yourselves 
under  the  banners  of  your  old  chief.  Victory  shall 
march  at  every  charging  step.  The  eagle  with  the 
national  colors,  shall  fly  from  steeple  to  steeple — on  to 
the  towers  of  Notre  Dame  !  In  your  old  age,  sur- 
rounded and  honored  by  your  fellow-citizens,  you  shall 
be  heard  with  respect  when  you  recount  your  noble 
deeds.  You  shall  then  say  with  pride — '  I  also  was  one 
of  that  great  army  which  twice  entered  the  walls  of 
Vienna,  took  Rome,  Berlin,  Madrid  and  Moscow — 
and  which  delivered  Paris  from  the  stain  of  domestic 
treason  and  the  occupation  of  strangers.'  " 

"  And  thus  from  village  to  village  and  city  to  city, 
the  swelling  tide  rolled  on  toward  Paris,  On  the  night 
of  the  19th  the  emperor  once  more  slept  at  his  palace 
of  Fontainebleau.     The   next    evening   he    made  his 


374  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

public  entry  into  his  capital,  and  amid  the  shouts  of 
hundreds  of  tliousands  the  conqueror  of  kingdoms 
entered  the  Tuilleries,  and  was  borne  in  triumph  on 
the  shoulders  of  the  Parisians  to  the  magnificent  salon, 
now  crowded  by  the  beauty  and  chivalry  of  Paris,  and 
from  which  Louis  XVIII.  had  but  a  few  hours  before 
fled.  Acclamations  wilder  than  had  ever  proclaimed 
his  greatest  victories,  rang  through  Paris,  and  all  night 
the  cannon  of  Austerlitz  and  Marengo  sent  their  rever- 
berations over  the  illuminated  city. 

"Europe — astounded  by  the  intelligence  wherever 
it  spread — was  now  marshaled  for  the  last  struggle 
against  Napoleon.  The  great  powers  signed  a  final 
treaty,  in  which  they  proclaimed  Bonaparte  an  outlaw, 
and  pledged  their  faith  to  exterminate  him  from  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Once  more  every  nation  on  the 
continent  rang  with  the  clangor  of  warlike  preparation, 
and  before  sixty  days  had  passed,  a  million  of  armed 
men  were  marching  to  the  scene  of  the  final  struggle. 

"  Before  the  close  of  May.  Napoleon  had  upwards  of 
three  hundred  thousand  soldiers  ready  for  battle,  be- 
sides an  imperial  guard  of  nearly  forty  thousand  chosen 
veterans  ;  while  the  last  scion  of  the  Bourbon  race  had 
been  driven  from  the  soil,  and  the  tri-color,  which  had 
waved  in  triumph  over  so  many  subject  nations,  was 
now  unfurled  again  from  the  Ehine  to  the  Pyrenees — 
and  from  the  British  Channel  to  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean." 

The  force  and  fascination  of  Napoleon's  mind,  and 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  all  the  avenues  to  the  sol- 
dier's heart,  were  never  more  sublimely  illustrated 
than  in  this  bloodless  march  of  seven  hundred  miles 
over  a  country  from  which  he  had  been  driven  an 
exile,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  army  and  the 
people. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  375 

Tlie  tidings  of  the  astounding  event  went  before  the 
triumphal  cavalcade. 

Talleyrand  was  making  his  toilet,  preparatory  to  a 
magnificent  ball  given  by  his  niece  the  Princess  of 
Courland,  when  she  brought  a  note  from  Metternicli. 
He  bade  her  open  and  read  it.  Trembling,  she  ex- 
claimed, "  Heavens  !  Bonaparte  has  left  Elba  !  What 
is  to  become  of  my  ball  this  evening  ? "  Talley- 
rand assured  her  coolly  it  should  take  place ;  but 
the  consternation  which  followed  the  announcement 
in  the  royal  saloon  at  Vienna,  could  not  be  con- 
cealed. 

The  Duchess  of  Augouleme,  whose  husband  had 
been  surrounded  by  General  Gill,  and  capitulated,  was 
at  Bordeaux  ;  a  city  with  one  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants and  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  a  brave  and  ener- 
getic woman.  She  appealed  with  tears  to  the  troops 
in  this  hour  of  peril,  but  gained  only  a  faint  response, 
and  was  comjielled  to  fly.  Napoleon  said  of  her  caus- 
tically, "■  She  is  the  only  man  of  her  race.'' 

The  tri-color  rose  on  tower  and  bulwark,  till  in  a 
few  weeks,  it  waved  again  over  the  hills  and  valleys 
of  France. 

Around  Napoleon  were  the  allied  powers  of  Europe. 
In  vain  he  endeavored  to  open  a  negotiation  with 
them,  presenting  as  reasons  for  his  return  and  invasion, 
the  detention  of  Maria  Louisa  and  his  son  by  Austria, 
the  non-payment  of  his  pension,  and  the  voice  of  the 
nation,  inviting  him  to  take  again  the  scepter.  His 
foes  were  inflexible  in  their  purpose,  and  could  bring 
no  less  than  a  million  of  troops  against  a  force  which 
could  not  reach  half  that  number. 

An  attempt  to  secure  the  restoration  of  the  empress 
and  her  son  to  the  Tuilleries  failed,  leaving  the   only 


3TG  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

hope  of  a  successful  issue  to  the  gathering  storm,  which 
would  reunite  the  imperial  family. 

Murat,  King  of  Naples,  upon  hearing  of  Napoleon's 
return,  determined,  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  im- 
petuous daring  of  his  nature,  to  anticipate  the  em- 
peror, and  fall  with  fifty  thousand  Neapolitans  upon 
the  allies.  Talleyrand  had  with  bitter  enmity  affirmed 
that  Murat  was  secretly  hostile  to  the  allies,  while 
Wellington  thought  him  true  to  their  interest.  This 
impulsive  and  fatal  onset  decided  his  position,  and 
sealed  his  doom.  He  met  the  Austrians  at  Occtrio- 
bello,  and  saw  his  army  cut  in  pieces  around  him. 
He  sought  death  beneath  the  leaden  hail,  but  survived 
to  escape  in  a  fishing  vessel,  and  landed  near  Toulon. 
He  was  seized,  tried,  and  shot.  Thus  died  a  man  of 
lofty  spirit — vain-glorious — impulsive — and  fearless  ;  a 
shining  mark  of  gallant  and  splendid  command  in  bat- 
tle, whose  2)resence  at  Waterloo  Napoleon  said  might 
have  changed  the  fortune  of  the  world.  Louis  XVIII. 
had  retired  to  Ghent,  in  Holland,  an  ancient,  deserted 
city,  to  wait  for  the  close  of  this  new  act  in  the  drama 
of  European  and  Napoleonic  revolution  and  blood- 
shed. 

A  note,  written  meanwhile  to  Joseph,  reveals  a  part 
of  the  plot  in  assuming  the  reins  of  authority,  by  which 
the  bold  enterprise  was  to  be  effected  : 

NAPOLEOlSr   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  Paris,  May  2,  1815. 

*'  My  Brother — It  is  necessary  to  organize  the 
Spaniards  who  are  in  France.  A  junta  must  be  created 
composed  of  five  members  from  the  most  active  and 
enterprising.  They  will  reside  here,  and  correspond 
with  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs.  The  existence  of 
this  junta  must  be  kept  secret.     It  must  have  agents 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 


•j«  < 


ou  the  principal  points  of  our  frontier  on  the  P\Tenees. 
The  agents  must  be  known  to  our  civil  and  military 
officers,  and  their  correspondence  with  the  junta  be  post 
free.  The  business  of  tlie  junta  will  be  to  edit  in  Paris 
a  Spanish  newspaper,  to  a^^pear  every  two  days,  to  be 
circulated  by  these  agents  through  every  channel,  and 
in  every  part  of  Spain.  The  objects  of  the  newspaper 
Avill  be  to  enlighten  the  Spaniards,  to  make  known  to 
them  our  constitution,  and  to  induce  them  to  rebel  and 
to  desert.  A  further  duty  of  the  junta  will  be  to  raise 
guerillas,  and  to  introduce  them  into  Spain.  The  pres- 
ident of  the  junta  will  be  accredited  to  the  minister  of 
foreign  affairs.  All  the  pecuniary  assistance  afforded 
to  the  Spaniards,  at  the  rate  of  120,000  francs  a  month, 
will  be  distributed  by  the  junta." 

To  conciliate  the  opposing  parties,  especially  the  ex- 
tremes of  republicanism  and  royalty,  and  muster  his 
legions  for  conflict,  was  a  work  no  mind  but  Napoleon's 
would  have  attempted.  He  enlarged  the  liberty  of  the 
press,  and  prepared  "  An  act  additional  to  the  constitu- 
tions of  the  empire,"  the  latter  of  which  was  submitted 
to  Josej^h  and  other  influential  leaders  of  the  discord- 
ant masses.  The  additional  decrees  provided  in  form 
for  the  arrangement  of  a  free  representative  constitu- 
tion ;  hereditary  monarchy  ;  an  hereditary  peerage  ;  a 
house  of  representatives,  chosen  by  the  people,  at  least 
once  within  every  five  years  ;  yearly  taxes,  levied  only 
by  the  whole  legislature  ;  responsible  ministers  ;  irre- 
movable judges  ;  and  in  all  criminal  cases  whatever,  the 
trial  by  jury. 

This  amendment,  which  secured,  it  cannot  be  denied, 
the  rights  of  the  people  to  a  degree  greatly  exceeding 
the  best  monarchies  of  Europe,  was  accepted  by  the 
electoral  colleges,  and  Napoleon  designated  the  1st  of 


378  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

June  for  a  grand  assemblage  on  the  field  of  Mars,  to 
approve  his  resumption  of  sovereignty,  and  give  im- 
posing effect  to  the  new  order  of  things.  The  vast 
area  of  that  renowned  plain  was  thronged  with  the 
millions  of  soldiery  and  citizens.  The  emperor  ap- 
peared on  the  elevated  platform  in  robes  of  royalty, 
and  stood  by  the  altar  at  which  the  Archbishop  of 
Rouen  performed  religious  rites.  Amid  thunders  of 
applause  he  received  the  oath  of  fidelity  from  the  army, 
distributed  the  eagles,  and  then  retired  to  contemplate 
in  silence,  as  the  roar  of  artillery  died  away,  the  doubt- 
ful struggle  into  which  his  faithful  battalions  must 
enter.  The  plan  of  the  campaign  was  to  cross  the  fron- 
tier, and  fall  upon  the  enemy  unexpectedly,  and  beat 
back  the  overwhelming  tide.  Paris  was  fortified,  and 
all  the  outposts  strengthened.  Upon  the  13th  day  of 
June,  with  the  dawning  light,  Napoleon  left  the  Tuil- 
leries  to  join  his  army. 

"  It  was  a  fearful  crisis.  With  a  fortitude  and  hero- 
ism, which  commands  the  admiration  of  the  world,  did 
Napoleon  meet  it.  He  was,  as  it  were,  alone.  Jose- 
phine was  dead.  Maria  Louisa  and  his  idolized  son 
were  prisoners  in  the  saloons  of  the  allies.  Eugene  was 
dethroned,  and  entangled  in  the  court  of  the  King  of 
Bavaria,  his  father-in-law.  Murat  was  wandering  a 
fugitive,  in  hourly  peril  of  being  shot.*  Lannes,  Bes- 
sieres,  Duroc,  were  dead.  Berthier,  ashamed  to  meet 
his  old  master,  had  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  Bour- 
bons. Marmot  was  a  traitor  at  Ghent.  Oudinot  and 
Macdonald,  honorable  men,  still  regarded  as  sacred 
their  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  Bourbons.  Ney,  having 
through  the  dictates  of  his  heart,  violated  his  oath,  dis- 
heartened by  the  sense  of  dishonor,  had  lost  his  power." 
The  emperor  hoped  to  meet  the  forces  of  Wellington 
*  Afterward  executed. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOI.EOX  BONAPARTE.  379 

and  Blucher  before  other  divisions  of  the  magnificent 
host  surrounding  him  could  unite  their  strength.  Upon 
the  13th  Napoleon  was  at  Avesnes,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  n)iles  from  the  capital,  where  were  gathered  all  his 
available  troops,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  thousand  men.  He  reviewed  them  on  the  14th, 
reminded  them  that  it  was  the  anniversary  of  JMarengo 
and  Friedland,  and  said,  "  Are  they  and  we  no  longer 
the  same  men  ?  The  madmen  !  a  moment  of  pros- 
perity has  blinded  them.  The  oppression  and  humil- 
iation of  the  French  people  is  beyond  their  power.  If 
they  enter  France,  they  will  there  find  their  tomb. 
Soldiers  !  we  have  forced  marches,  battles,  and  dan- 
gers before  us.  For  every  Frenchman  who  has  a  heart, 
the  moment  is  arrived  to  conquer  or  to  jierish  !  "  Such 
was  his  oration  ;  and  never  was  army  more  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  its  chief. 

"Blucher's  army  numbered  at  this  time  about  one 
hundred  thousand  men,  and  extending  along  the  line 
of  the  Sambre  and  the  Meuse,  occupied  Charleroi, 
Xamur,  Givet,  and  Liege.  They  communicated  on  the 
right  with  the  left  of  the  Anglo-Belgian  army,  under 
Wellington,  whose  headquarters  were  at  Brussels. 
This  army  was  not  composed,  like  Blucher's  or  Xapo- 
leon's,  of  troops  of  the  same  nation.  The  duke  had 
under  his  command  seventy-six  thousand  men.  His 
first  division  occupied  Enghein,  Brain-le-Compte,  and 
Nivelles,  communicating  with  the  Prussian  right  at 
Charleroi.  The  second  division  (Lord  Hill's)  was  can- 
toned at  Halle,  Oudenard,  and  Gramont — where  was 
the  most  of  the  cavalry.  The  reserve  (Sir  Thomas 
Picton's)  were  at  Brussels  and  Ghent.  The  English 
and  Prussian  commanders  had  thus  arranged  their 
troops,  with  the  view  of  being  able  to  support  each 
other;  wherever  the  French  might  hazard  their  assault. 


380  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

It  could  not  be  doubted  that  Napoleon's  mark  was  Brus- 
sels ;  but  by  which  of  the  three  great  routes  of  Namur, 
of  Charleroi,  or  of  Mons,  he  designed  to  force  his  pas- 
sage, could  not  be  ascertained  beforehand.  Fouche, 
indeed,  doubly  and  trebly  dyed  in  treason,  had,  when 
accepting  office  under  Napoleon,  continued  to  main- 
tain his  correspondence  with  Louis  at  Ghent,  and  prom- 
ised to  furnish  the  allies  with  the  outline  of  the  em- 
peror's plan  of  the  campaign  ere  it  began.  But  the 
minister  of  police  took  care  that  this  document  should 
not  arrive  until  the  campaign  was  decided. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  the  French  drove  in 
all  the  outposts  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sambre,  and 
at  length  assaulted  Charleroi,  thus  revealing  the  pur- 
pose of  the  emperor — to  crush  Blucher  ere  he  could 
concentrate  all  his  own  strength,  far  less  be  supported 
by  the  advance  of  Wellington.  Ziethen,  however,  held 
out,  though  with  severe  loss,  at  Charleroi  so  long,  that 
the  alarm  spread  along  the  whole  Prussian  line ;  and 
then  fell  back  in  good  order  on  a  position  between  Ligny 
and  Amand  ;  where  Blucher  now  waited  Najjoleon's 
attack,  at  the  head  of  the  whole  of  his  army,  except  the 
division  of  Bulow,  which  had  not  yet  come  up  from 
Liege.  The  scheme  of  beating  the  Prussian  divisions 
in  detail  had  therefore  failed  ;  but  the  second  part  of 
the  plan,  namely,  that  of  separating  them  wholly  from 
Wellington,  might  still  succeed.  And  with  this  view, 
while  Blucher  was  concentrating  his  force  about  Ligny, 
the  French  held  on  the  main  road  to  Brussels  from 
Charleroi,  and,  beating  in  some  Nassau  troops  at 
Frasnes,  followed  them  as  far  as  Quaire-Bras ;  and 
finally  took  possession  of  that  farmhouse,  so  called  be- 
cause it  is  there  that  the  roads  from  Charleroi  to  Brus- 
sels, and  from  Nivelles  to  Namur,  cross  each  other. 

Blucher  had  prepared  to  meet  Napoleon,  through  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  381 

treachery  of  General  Bourniont,  who  deserted  on  tlie 
eve  of  battle,  and  carried  the  intelligence  of  his  ad- 
vance and  intended  surprise.  But  for  this  desertion, 
the  issue  of  the  struggle  might  have  been  greatly 
changed. 

Intelligence  of  the  emi^eror's  movements  reached 
"Wellington  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  'J'he  rumor 
did  not  prevent  a  brilliant  ball  which  had  been  arranged 
by  the  Duchess  of  Eichmond  for  the  principal  officers 
of  the  army. 

The  clouds  were  rolling  away  from  Napoleon's  star, 
while  the  thunder  of  his  cannon  broke  upon  the  festive 
mirth  of  the  gay  assemblage.  At  dead  of  night  the 
bugle  sounded,  and  the  drum's  stirring  beat  was  heard 
in  the  streets  of  Brussels. 

Upon  the  16th,  the  emperor  marched  toward  Ligny, 
which  the  Prince  of  Orange  had  retaken  with  the 
Nivelles  road,  reopening  the  communication  of  Blu- 
cher  with  Brussels.  Unexpectedly  he  encountered 
that  general  leading  eighty  thousand  men,  with  a  divi- 
sion of  sixty  thousand.  The  day  wore  away  amid  terri- 
ble battle-scenes,  and  night  hung  a  curtain  of  darkness 
over  the  horrors  of  the  calmer  field  when  the  roar  of 
combat  nad  ceased. 

Napoleon  was  victorious,  and  had  Ney,  according  to 
orders,  come  up  to  intercejjt  the  retreat  of  the  Prussian 
troops,  the  rout  might  have  been  complete.  The  brave 
Ney  upon  reaching  Quatre-Bras  the  evening  of  the  15th, 
heard  nothing  of  the  foe  at  this  point,  and  anticipated 
its  occupation  in  the  morning  without  serious  oiDposition. 
His  weary  soldiers  lay  down  beneath  the  wings  of  a 
tempest  upon  the  drenched  ground,  to  snatch  a  brief 
repose.  Meanwhile  Wellington  was  at  Quatre-Bras, 
and  to  the  dismay  of  Marshal  Ney,  prepared  with  a 
formidable  array  of  disciplined  troops,  to  dispute  his 


382  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

further  progress.  A  sanguinary  encounter  failed  to 
open  a  passage  for  the  heroic  marshal.  Wellington, 
hearing  of  Blucher's  defeat,  fell  back  to  the  more  ad- 
vantageous field  of  Waterloo,  to  join  tlie  Prussian  army. 

Napoleon,  in  his  bulletins,  announced  two  splendid 
victories  at  Quatre-Bras  and  Ligny,  costing  the  allies 
twenty-five  thousand  men,  and  th-e  French  nearly 
twenty  thousand.  These  results  awoke  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  nation  to  its  former  ardor,  and  again  in- 
vested Napoleon's  name  with  the  terror  which  lost  its 
power  when  the  Undaunted  turned  her  prow  toward 
Elba. 

Leaving  Grouchy  on  the  track  of  the  Prussian  divi- 
sion of  the  allied  army,  the  emperor  hastened  to  Quatre- 
Bras  to  unite  with  Ney  and  advance  upon  Wellington, 
if  possible  to  secure  a  battle  before  the  arrival  of  Blucher 
who  was  within  a  few  miles  of  the  duke  with  seventy 
thousand  troops.  Toward  night  of  the  17th,  Napoleon 
came  in  sight  of  Waterloo.  Expressing  an  intense  de- 
sire for  a  few  hours  more  of  day,  he  went  forth  in  the 
storm  to  reconnoiter  the  position  of  the  enemy.  He 
sent  orders  to  Grouchy  to  continue  his  pursuit  of  the 
Prussians,  and  be  prepared  to  aid  him  in  any  emergency 
which  might  arise. 

Napoleon  and  Wellington  had  each  about  seventy 
thousand  men.  The  English  forces  extended  their 
lines  more  than  a  mile,  and  were  nearly  that  distance 
from  the  town  of  Waterloo,  on  a  gentle  slope,  separat- 
ed from  tlie  broad  plain  by  a  beautiful  declivity.  In 
front  were  the  most  reliable  troops,  then  those  who  had 
already  severely  suffered  in  the  previous  battle,  and  be- 
hind both  were  posted  the  horse.  The  waiting  foe  lay 
in  a  convex  form,  bending  at  each  extreme  toward  the 
forest  of  Soignies.  It  was  a  wide  and  open  field — a  fit 
arena  for  the  grand  and  terrible  strife  at  hand,  and 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  383 

affording  the  most  favorable  ground  for  retreat,  and 
renewed  defense  to  the  duke  in  case  of  defeat. 

"  Finally  the  day  of  Napoleon's  last  battle  broke  in 
clouds  and  wind,  after  a  night  of  tempest.  It  was 
Sunday — a  day  which,  since  the  time  of  the  Saviour, 
Christian  nations  have  devoted  to  mercy,  adoration,  and 
repose.  But  the  Sabbath  of  the  18th  of  June,  1§15, 
witnessed  the  struggle  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand men  grappling  with  each  other  in  the  terrible 
work  of  destruction,  and  whoever  may  have  rejoiced  in 
the  result,  the  carnage  of  that  day  filled  Europe  with 
mourning.  At  eleven  o'clock  Xapoleon's  bugles  gave 
the  signal ;  Jerome  advanced  with  a  column  of  six 
thousand  men,  and  the  battle  of  Waterloo  began. 
Under  the  cover  of  heavy  batteries,  w^hose  balls  flew  on 
their  errand  of  death  over  the  heads  of  his  troops,  the 
King  of  Westphalia  charged  the  right  wing  of  Welling- 
ton, which  rested  on  the  Chateau  of  Hougomont. 
Slowly  the  engagement  extended,  from  point  to  point, 
and  division  closed  with  division,  till  the  tide  of  battle 
had  swept  over  the  plain — two  miles  from  wing  to  wing 
— and  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men  had  closed 
in  the  terrific  struggle.  The  battle  had  now  lasted 
from  eleven  till  four,  and  ten  thousand  men  had  fallen 
every  hour.  Broken,  bleeding,  and  exhausted  bat- 
talions had  charged,  and  closed,  and  recoiled,  and  so 
equal  had  been  the  conflict  that  victory  seemed  about 
to  fold  its  wings  over  a  mutual  slaughter." 

Wellington's  columns  began  to  M'aver,  and  Xapo- 
leon  felt  the  joy  of  anticipated  triumph,  when  thirty 
thousands  ti'oops,  under  Bulow,  deployed  into  the  field. 
This  advance  guard  of  the  Prussian  army  poured  their 
tempest  of  death  upon  the  columns  of  the  French. 
Napoleon  sent  ten  thousand  men  to  beat  back  the 
fiery  wave  of  destrnction  ;  charging  impetuously,  they 


384:  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

succeeded,  aud  hope  again  brightened  over  the  em- 
peror, whose  restless  eye  was  often  turned  with  intense 
anxiety  toward  the  slopes  across  which  Grouchy  would 
wheel  his  columns  into  the  plain.  The  marshal  heard 
the  awful  cannonade,  but  still  refused  to  deviate  from 
his  original  orders,  aud  couriers  had  failed  to  reach  him 
from  Waterloo.  Still  the  emperor's  ranks  swept  down 
upon  the  enemy  with  desolating  effect.  Wellington  was 
also  impatiently  looking  for  help,  and  as  he  saw  the 
falling  lines,  and  the  drops  of  bitter  emotion  gathered 
upon  his  brow,  he  exclaimed,  despairingly,  "  AYould  to 
heaven  that  Blucher  or  night  would  come  ! "  The 
French  cuirassiers  charged  the  right  of  the  British, 
and  were  permitted  to  advance  within  ten  yards  when 
a  deadly  fire  drove  them  back.  Again  and  again  they 
rallied,  rode  between  the  squares,  and  were  cut  down 
by  the  cross  fire,  till  the  splendid  body  of  cavaliers 
was  slain.  Then  the  blaze  of  artillery  gleamed  the 
whole  length  of  the  French  line,  and  the  enemy  were 
ordered  to  lie  on  the  ground,  to  escape  the  iron  hail 
that  filled  the  air. 

At  this  crisis,  Blucher  emerged  from  the  woods,  and 
uniting  with  Bulow,  led  sixty  thousand  troops  to  the 
standard  of  Wellington.  Napoleon  discovered  in  a 
moment  the  peril — the  day  must  be  Avon  or  lost  by  a 
desperate,  decisive  blow.  The  Old  Guard,  the  glory  of 
all  his  armies,  had  been  kept  in  reserve. 

Forming  them  into  two  columns,  and  putting  them 
under  the  command  of  the  dauntless  Ney,  he  pointed 
to  the  terrific  forest  into  which  they  must  move  like  a 
falling  bolt  from  the  clouds.  A  throne,  and  the  future 
of  empires,  hung  on  the  issue  of  the  hour.  As  the  Im- 
perial Guard  marched  forward  in  silence,  Napoleon 
said,  *'  Heroes  of  all  my  victories,  I  confide  to  you  my 
empire."    They  answered  with  a  single  shout,  "  Vive 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  385 

I'Emperenr  ! "  and  without  a  note  of  martial  music,  they 
went  with  resolute  ste]")  toward  the  glittering  steel, 
and  yawning  mouths  of  war's  wasting  engines,  over 
which  stood  the  manliest  forms  of  England  and  her 
allies,  Nay  had  never  been  conquered,  and  the  de- 
sertion of  his  sovereign,  moved  him  to  the  onset  with 
burning  ardor.  Napoleon  from  the  elevation  watched 
the  meeting  of  the  fearless  band  with  the  waiting 
legions. 

The  plain  was  crossed,  and  the  Old  Guard  made 
a  charge  to  which  no  battle-plain  had  trembled  be- 
fore. In  flame  and  smoke  they  disappeared,  and 
neither  they  nor  Napoleon  knew  where  they  were. 
The  shock  was  felt  along  the  columns  of  the  Iron 
Duke,  and  made  a  momentary  pause,  only  to  pour  a 
more  consuming  fire  uj)on  the  devoted  band.  Napo- 
leon saw  through  his  glass  the  slaughter  of  that  last 
defense  of  his  throne,  and  with  a  paleness  on  his  face, 
and  anguish  in  his  heart,  threw  himself  into  a  square, 
resolved  to  perish  with  his  dying  heroes.  Cam- 
bronne,  the  commander  of  the  troops  around  the  em- 
peror, entreated  him  to  save  his  life.  He  yielded,  and, 
turning  away  from  the  exultant  enemy,  rode  toward 
Paris.  The  remnant  of  the  brave  men,  who  gazed 
after  Napoleon,  was  soon  surrounded  by  the  victors, 
and  a  flag  of  truce  sent  to  spare  the  needless  carnage. 
Cambronne  replied  in  the  memorable  words  of  hero- 
ism, ''  The  Guard  dies  ;  it  neve?'  svi-renders  !  ^'  The 
sound  of  his  voice  died  away  in  the  fresh  volley  of 
balls,  and  soon  the  Old  Guard  Avas  no  more.  Night 
came  down,  and  the  good  angels  watched  with  grief 
over  forty  thousand  bleeding  bodies  of  the  slain,  while 
the  silence  of  their  vigil  was  broken  by  the  groans  of 
many  hundreds  wounded  and  writhing  in  a  bed  of  gore, 

Wellington  had  lost  one  hundred  officers  and  fif- 
25 


386  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

teen  thousand  men  ;  while  of  the  seventy-five  thousand 
Xapoleou  led  to  battle,  no  more  than  thirty  thousand 
ever  bore  arms  again.  The  Prussians  pursued  the  fly- 
ing fugitives,  and  butchery  crimsoned  every  village 
and  hamlet  in  their  path.  jSTapoleon  hastened  to  Qua- 
tre-Bras,  and  contemplated  still  another  rally,  which 
was  there  j)roposed,  then  proceeded  to  Charleroi,  riding 
all  night,  while  the  sound  of  pursuit  came  to  his  ear  on 
the  quiet  air. 

"  On  the  19th  the  caj)ital  had  been  greeted  with  the 
news  of  three  great  victories,  at  Charleroi,  at  Ligny, 
and  at  Quatre-Bras,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  cannon 
fired  in  honor  of  the  emperor's  successes  ;  his  j^artisans 
proclaimed  that  the  glory  of  France  was  secured,  and 
dejection  filled  the  hearts  of  the  royalists.  On  the 
morning  of  the  21st  it  transpired  that  Napoleon  had 
arrived  the  night  before  alone  at  the  Elysee.  The 
secret  could  no  longer  be  kept.  A  great,  a  decisive  field 
had  been  fought,  and  the  French  army  was  no  more. 

''  On  how  sandy  a  foundation  the  exile  of  Elba  had 
rebuilt  the  semblance  of  his  ancient  authority,  a  few 
houi's  of  adversity  were  more  than  sufficient  to  show." 

He  conversed"  freely  with  Caulaincourt  upon  the 
disasters  of  the  day,  bitterly  condemned  Bourmont, 
complained  of  Grouchy,  and  exjiressed  his  purpose  of 
uniting  the  two  Chambers  in  an  imperial  sitting.  But 
they  had  anticipated  his  order,  when  the  tidings  of 
Waterloo  reached  them.  The  allies,  like  a  locust- 
swarm,  a  million  strong,  were  ready  to  fall  upon  Paris, 
and  panic  spread  through  the  capital.  Napoleon  as- 
sembled the  Council  of  State,  and  vividly  portraying 
the  crisis  of  the  nation,  urged  the  necessity  of  a  tem- 
])orary  dictatorship  to  save  the  fortunes  of  France. 
Carnot,  it  seems,  now  approved  the  measure,  and  gave 
his  voice  for  it.     But  it  was  affirmed  that  in  the  Cham- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BON Ar  ARTE.  387 

bers  the  tide  was  setting  against  the  emperor,  and  the 
sacrifice  of  their  former  idol  was  plainly  the  ruling 
sentiment.  Lafayette  was  the  advocate  of  this  last 
resort,  to  avoid  "the  seas  of  blood"  which  must  flow 
if  the  effort  to  regain  the  throne  were  continued.  But 
Napoleon  clung  with  desperate  energy  to  the  crum- 
bling scepter  in  his  hand,  lie  planned  a  new  campaign 
to  sweep  the  allies  from  the  soil — already  drenched  in 
the  life-current,  and  fattened  with  the  bodies  of  men. 
The  Chambers  continued  for  several  days  their  stormy 
debate.  Lucien  who,  with  Josej^h  had  repaired  to  the 
Elysee,  advised  the  emperor  to  rally  the  relics  of  his 
Guard  and  dissolve  the  hostile  assemblies  as  he  had 
done  at  St.  Cloud  on  the  19th  of  Brnmaire.  The 
trancendent  genius  of  Napoleon,  under  the  pressure 
of  these  opposing  forces,  and  sustaining  the  agony  of 
a  crushed  heart,  was  bewildered  ;  and  Lucien,  in  view 
of  it  always  said,  "The  smoke  of  Mont  St.  Jean  had 
turned  his  brain." 

During  these  mental  conflicts  and  excited  debates, 
the  Chambers  had  reached  the  vote  upon  the  em- 
peror's abdication,  when,  having  seen  the  unavoidable 
and  overwhelming  necessity,  he  sent  by  the  hand 
of  the  willing,  treasonable  Fouche,  who  secretly  re- 
joiced in  the  overthrow  of  Napoleon,  the  subjoined 
proclamation  "  To  the  French  people  :  " 

"  Frenchmen  !  In  commencing  war  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  national  independence,  I  relied  on  the 
union  of  all  efforts,  all  wills,  and  all  authorities.  I 
had  reason  to  hope  for  success,  and  I  braved  all  the 
declarations  of  the  powers  against  me.  Circumstances 
appear  to  have  changed.  I  offer  myself  as  a  sacrifice 
to  the  hatred  of  the  enemies  of  France.  May  they 
prove  sincere  in  their  declarations,  and  to  have  aimed 


388  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

only  at  me  !  My  political  life  is  ended  ;  and  I  pro- 
claim my  son,  Napoleon  II.,  Emperor  of  the  French. 
Unite  for  the  public  safety,  if  you  would  remain  an 
independent  nation. — Done  at  the  palace  Elysee,  June 
22d,  1815. 

*' Napoleon." 

A  fierce  discussion  followed  the  reading  of  this 
paper.  Marshal  Ney  gave  his  voice  for  peace,  even 
with  a  Bourbon  throne.  The  Chambers  finally  ap- 
pointed a  deputation  to  wait  upon  Napoleon,  accept 
the  abdication,  and  expressing  the  gratitude  of  the 
nation  for  his  great  sacrifices  and  glorious  deeds  in 
its  behalf.  He  thanked  the  delegation — warned  them 
of  their  mistake — and  pointed  them  to  his  dynasty  as 
the  only  hope  of  France. 

Thus  closed  the  second  and  brief  reign  of  the  most 
gifted  sovereign  of  any  age — thus  ended  the  hundred 
days  of  Napoleon. 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  389 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  second  abdication.— The  indecision  and  distress  of  Napoleon. — He 
resolves  to  take  refuge  in  the  United  States.— He  leaves  Malmaison 
for  Rochefort.— Letter  from  Bertrand  to  Joseph.— Negotiations  with 
England  for  passports. — These  are  denied. — Napoleon  throws  himself 
upon  the  mercy  of  England. — The  reception,  and  voyage  to  the 
English  coast. — The  decision  respecting  the  emperor's  fate. — He  con- 
templates suicide. — The  departure  for  St.  Helena.— Arrival  at  the 
island.— Napoleon's  residence. — His  treatment  in  exile. — His  habits. — 
Progress  of  disease.— His  religious  character.— His  last  hours. — General 
Bertrand's  account  of  the  emperor's  death. — His  burial. — The  re- 
moval of  his  remains  to  France. 

The  last  desire  of  the  emperoi'  when  lie  resigned  his 
crown,  was  the  immediate  elevation  of  Napoleon  11, 
to  the  prospective  sovereignty  of  France.  Lahedoyer 
pleaded  for  it  in  the  Senate.  The  soldiery  caught  the 
enthusiasm  of  this  rallying  shout.  Fouche.  who  had 
been  placed  at  the  head  of  the  provisional  government, 
and  preferred  the  Bourbons,  became  alarmed,  and  sug- 
gested the  importance  of  the  emperor's  removal  from 
Paris.  June  25tli,  disguised  in  ordinary  apparel,  he 
retired  to  the  lovely  grounds  and  quiet  rooms  of  Mal- 
maison, "  but  was  no  longer  greeted  by  the  warm  em- 
brace of  Josephine — the  divorced  wife  had  forgotten 
all  her  wrongs  and  her  sorrows,  in  the  hallowed  pre- 
cincts of  the  village  church  of  Ruel.  Wliat  may  have 
been  the  feelings  of  the  fallen  emperor,  as  he  walked 
through  the  deserted  halls  of  Malmaison  at  midtiight 
in  the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  his  empire,  and  so  near 
the  ashes  of  his  divorced  Josephine,  we  do  not  wish 
to  know.  As  he  had  lingered  at  the  Kremlin,  Dres- 
den, and  Fontainebleau — the  three  stages  of  his  ruin — 
so  did  he  linger  at  Malmaison.     The  spell  was  still  over 


390  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

him — fiite  had  decreed  that  when  the  sapped  castle  at 
lust  fell,  the  ruin  should  be  complete." 

Had  he,  as  he  contemplated,  embarked  without  de- 
lay for  the  United  States,  he  might  have  been  the 
illustrious  citizen  of  a  republic  he  admired  but  did  not 
attempt  to  copy  for  war-ravaged  France,  neither  de- 
sired, while  his  dynasty  could  fill  the  throne.  Napo- 
leon's retreat  became  a  guarded  prison,  surrounded 
with  soldiers  under  the  command  of  General  Becker. 
Fouche  was  inlaying  a  double  game  of  treachery  :  urg- 
ing the  emperor's  departure  from  France  in  two  frigates 
furnished  for  his  service,  and,  at  the  same  time,  com- 
municating with  the  allies  respecting  his  movements. 
While  the  provisional  government  was  afraid  of  his 
escape  from  Malmaison  to  lead  again  his  battalions  into 
the  field,  the  allies  were  lining  the  coast  with  a  naval 
force,  to  prevent  his  flight  to  a  foreign  shore,  and 
secure  the  hated  victim  of  their  resistless  power. 

An  asylum  in  the  United  States  was  finally  the 
choice  of  the  emperor.  Application  Avas  made  to  Wel- 
lington for  passports,  but  the  duke  replied  that  he  had 
no  authority  whatever  to  give  a  safe-conduct  to  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte. 

Meanwhile  the  mind  of  the  captive,  which  had  been 
driven  from  one  plan  of  desperate  action  to  another, 
was  soothed  by  the  presence  of  the  lovely  Hortense, 
faithful  to  her  mother's  example,  and  the  devoted 
Caulaincourt — with  a  throng  of  friends,  both  officers 
and  citizens,  whose  sympathy  Avas  sincere,  and  whose 
lives  they  were  ready  to  offer  on  the  altar  of  their 
affection.  June  29th,  amid  the  beauty  and  joy  of  sum- 
mer at  Malmaison,  he  bade  adieu  to  Hortense,  glanced 
over  the  familiar  scenes,  hallowed  by  the  memories  of 
Josephine,  we  may  not  doubt  with  bitter  thoughts  of 
irreparable  wrong,  passed  out  of  the  open  gate  which 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  391 

lie  should  enter  never  again,  and  with  Geiieral  Becker, 
Count  Bertrand,  and  Savary,  in  the  carriage  assigned 
him,  hastened  toward  Rocliefort.  The  jirocession  of 
personal  friends  who  resolved  to  share  his  exile,  were 
to  join  the  emperor  by  a  different  road.  At  night 
Napoleon  rested  in  the  castle  of  Kambouillet,  thirty 
miles  from  Malmaison.  With  the  early  light  of  the 
next  day,  he  pressed  forward,  and  driving  all  the  night 
following,  halted  at  Tours  on  the  first  of  July. 

He  reached  Eochefort  on  the  3d,  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  the  prefect's  house,  with  the  view  of  em- 
barking immediately  :  but  he  forthwith  was  informed 
that  a  British  line-of-battle  ship,  the  Bellerophon,  Cap- 
tain Maitland,  and  some  smaller  vessels  of  war,  were 
off  the  roads,  and  given  to  understand  that  the  com- 
manders of  the  squadron  at  his  own  disposal  showed 
no  disposition  to  attempt  the  passage  out  in  face  of 
these  watchers.  A  Danish  merchant  ship  was  then 
hired,  and  the  emperor  occupied  himself  with  various 
devices  for  concealing  his  person  in  the  hold  of  this 
vessel.  But  the  Danish  captain  convinced  him  ere 
long  that  the  British  searchers  would  not  be  likely  to 
pass  him  undetected,  and  this  plan,  too,  was  abandoned. 
Some  young  French  midshipmen  then  gallantly  offered 
to  act  as  a  crew  of  a  small  flat  coasting  vessel,  a 
cUaussee-marree,  and  attempt  the  escape  in  this  way 
under  cover  of  night.  But  all  experienced  seamen 
concurred  in  representing  the  imminent  hazard  of 
exposing  such  a  vessel  to  the  Atlantic,  as  well  as 
the  numberless  chances  of  its  also  being  detected  by 
the  English  cruisers.  ''Wherever  wood  can  swim,"' 
said  Xapoleon,  '^'therelam  sure  to  find  this  flag  of 
England." 

July  9th,  Napoleon  landed  on  the  Isle  of  Aix,  of]' 
which   the    Saale   and   Medusa   were  anchored.     The 


392  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

allies  had  entered  Paris,  and  were  virtually  in  pos- 
session of  the  sovereignty,  which  Fouche  formally 
held  for  the  Bourbon  king.  The  excitement  which 
the  emperor's  presence  on  the  island  awakened, 
brought  the  order  to  the  commander  of  the  frigate, 
that  "  the  act  of  disembarking  Napoleon  again  upon 
the  soil  of  France "  would  be  declared  high  treason. 
The  friends  of  the  emperor  believed  that  an  appeal  to 
the  hospitality  of  England  would  be  rewarded  with  a 
magnanimous  treatment  of  his  person.  It  was  plainly 
the  only  alternative  ;  and  July  14th,  Las  Cases  and 
Savary  went  the  second  time  on  board  the  Bellero- 
flion  under  a  flag  of  truce,  to  inquire  whether  Napo- 
leon would  be  received  in  that  vessel  if  he  decided  to 
go  to  England,  They  were  assured  by  Captain  Mait- 
land  that  the  ship  was  at  his  disposal  for  safe  con- 
veyance to  Britain.  He  immediately  desj)atclied  the 
following  note  to  the  jjrince  regent,  afterward  George 
IV.,  written  the  preceding  day  : 

"RocHEPORT,  July  13,  1815. 

"  KoYAL  Highness — A  victim  to  the  factions  which 
divide  my  country,  and  to  the  hostility  of  the  greatest 
powers  of  Europe,  I  have  terminated  my  j^olitical 
career,  and  come,  like  Themistocles,  to  seat  myself  on 
the  hearth  of  the  British  people.  I  put  myself  under 
the  protection  of  their  laws,  which  I  claim  from  your 
royal  highness,  as  the  most  powerful,  the  most  con- 
stant, and  the  most  generous  of  my  enemies. 

''Napoleon." 

General  Bertrand  at  this  date  informed  Joseph  of 
the  decisive  step  taken.     • 

BERTRAND   TO    JOSEPH. 

"  Isle  of  Aix,  July  14,  1815. 

*' Prince — The  emperor  communicated   this   morn- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  393 

ingwith  the  British  cruisers.  The  admiral's  answer 
has  not  reached  us,  but  the  captain*  is  ordered  by  the 
goveriiment  to  receive  the  emperor  if  lie  shoukl  pre- 
sent himself  with  the  persons  composing  his  suite. 
The  captain  is  not  acquainted  with  the  further  inten- 
tions of  his  government  ;  but  he  does  not  doubt  that 
the  emperor  will  be  well  treated ;  for,  even  if  the 
government  should  wish  to  act  otherwise,  public 
opinion  in  England  will,  he  thinks,  force  them  to 
behave  as  they  ought  to  do  on  such  an  occasion.  M. 
de  Las  Cases  has  returned  on  board,  f  and  to-morrow 
morning  the  emperor  will  repair  thitlier.  His  majesty 
desires  me  to  give  you  this  information." 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  no  pledge  regarding  the 
ultimate  action  of  the  English  cabinet  was  given  ;  but 
Napoleon  threw  himself  entirely  upon  the  honor  and 
generosity  of  his  foe,  in  the  conscious  dignity  of  his 
position,  and  reliance  upon  the  popular  feeling  in  the 
empire  to  whose  shore  he  sailed.  The  letter  Avas  com- 
mitted by  Maitland  to  Gourgaud,  who  proceeded  with 
it  in  the  Slaney,  but  was  not  allowed  to  land  ;  it  was 
sent  by  other  hands  to  the  prince  regent.  July  15th 
the  brig  Epervier  conveyed  him  out  of  the  Aix  roads. 
The  wind  was  unfavorable^  and  the  barge  of  the  Bel- 
leroplion  bore  him  to  the  ship.  Tears  fell,  and  shouts, 
rose  long  and  loud  while  he  moved  away  from  French 
soil,  French  vessels,  and  French  soldiers,  neither  of 
which  his  feet  or  hands  should  press  again.  The 
officers  of  the  Belleroplion  awaiting  the  appearing  of 
Napoleon,  with  the  mariners  drawn  up  in  order  be- 
hind them.  When  he  reached  the  quarter-deck, 
uncovering   himself,   he    said    calmly  and     firmly   to 

*  Maitland  of  the  Bellerophon. 
t  The  Bellerophon. 


394     LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

Captain  Maitland,  "I  come  to  place  myself  under  the 
protection  of  yonr  prince  and  laws."  The  commander 
answered  with  a  bow,  and  conducted  him  to  his  cabin. 
The  officers  were  then  jiresented,  and,  as  everywhere, 
the  emperor  became  popular  with  all  whom  he  met — 
the  crew  especially  admiring  the  wonderful  man  of 
whose  terrible  presence  on  the  field  of  battle  they  had 
only  heard.  He  made  himself  familiar  with  every 
part  of  the  ship,  and  complimented  highly  the  quiet 
subordination  and  superior  discipline  of  the  English 
navy.  On  the  23d  the  Bellero^^hon  passed  Ushant, 
where  a  view  of  the  coast  of  France  arrested  the 
mighty  exile's  moistened  eye.  He  gazed  silently  and 
sadly  upon  the  dim  outline  of  his  arena  of  greatness 
and  glory  ;  but  his  crowding  thoughts  and  deep  emo- 
tion no  pen  was  iiermitted  to  record.  Tlie  25tli  the 
vessel  which  attracted  toward  it  the  interest  of  a  hemi- 
sphere, dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Torbay, 
amid  countless  boats  crowded  with  curious  people, 
whose  shouts  greeted  Napoleon  as  often  as  he  appeared 
on  deck  to  gratify  the  intense  interest  his  name  and 
fate  awakened.  All  communication  of  the  Bellero- 
plion  with  the  coast  was  forbidden,  and,  after  a  sus- 
pense of  a  few  hours,  orders  came  to  proceed  to 
Plymouth  Sound.  At  noon  of  the  following  day,  the 
ship's  sails  were  furled  before  that  ancient  town.  The 
respectful  and  kindly  attentions  to  the  emperor,  which 
had  marked  the  voyage,  gave  place  to  the  stern  for- 
malities of  guarding  the  captive,  while  his  doom  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  Privy  Council.  The  populace 
from  a  great  distance  poured  into  Plymouth,  and  the 
excitement  became  so  strong,  that  "  two  frigates  were 
appointed  to  lie  as  guards  on  the  Bellerophon,  aiul 
sentinels  were  doubled  and  trebled  both  by  day  and 
uight."    Upon  the   30th,  Sir  Henry   Banbury,  under- 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  RONAPARTE.  395 

gecretary  of  state,  with  Admiral  Keitli  of  the  oluiimol 
fleet,  anuounced  the  final  decision  of  tlie  iJiitish 
government,  whose  main  provisions  were  these  :  "  1st, 
That  General  Bonaparte  should  not  be  landed  in  Eng- 
land, but  removed  forthwith  to  St.  Helena,  as  being 
the  situation  in  which,  more  than  any  other  at  their 
command,  the  government  tliought  security  against  a 
second  escape  and  the  indulgence  to  himself  of  per- 
sonal freedom  and  exercise,  might  be  reconciled. 
2dly,  That,  with  the  exceptions  of  Savary  and  L'AlIe- 
mand,  he  might  take  with  him  any  three  officers  he 
chose,  as  also  his  surgeon,  and  twelve  domestics." 

Napoleon  betrayed  no  agitation  when  the  surprising 
document  was  finished,  but  with  perfect  composure  im- 
mediately protested  against  the  unjust  decree  with  his 
own  nnequaled  eloquence  :  ''  I  am  the  guest  of  England, 
and  not  her  prisoner.  I  have  come,  of  my  own  accord, 
to  place  myself  under  the  protection  of  British  law.  In 
my  case  the  government  has  violated  the  laws  of  its 
own  country,  the  laws  of  nations,  and  the  sacred  duty 
of  hospitality.  I  protest  against  their  right  to  act 
thus,  and  aj^peal  to  British  honor."  The  emperor 
complained  of  the  inexcusable  insult  of  refusing  to 
give  him  his  imperial  title,  recognizing  him  only  as 
General  Bonaparte.  He  recoiled  from  exile  on  a 
rocky  island  between  the  tropics,  and  again  contem- 
plated suicide.  He  said,  "  After  all,  am  I  quite  sure 
of  going  to  St.  Helena  ?  Is  a  man  dependent  upon 
others  when  he  wishes  that  his  dependence  should 
cease  ?  *  *  *  Jt  jg  only  necessary  to  create  a  little 
mental  excitement,  and  I  shall  soon  have  escaped."  Las 
Cases  remonstrated,  and  suggested  the  memories  of 
the  past  upon  Avhich  to  live,  and  the  unwritten  record 
of  his  grand  career  to  be  prepared  for  the  future. 
The    dark   and   criminal  thought   was   banished,    and 


396  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

submission  to  his  destiny  was  the  imperative  necessity. 
There  is  some  palliation  for  the  extraordinary  and 
unlawful  course  of  England.  Napoleon  had  escaped 
from  Elba.  His  name  was  still  a  spell-word  in 
France,  and  his  influence  over  the  masses  immeas- 
urably greater  than  that  of  any  other  living  man.  The 
British  cabinet  were  afraid  of  his  presence  where  the 
possibility  of  rescue  should  attend  him.  From  the 
beginning,  fighting  for  ancient,  transmitted  royalty, 
regarding  Napoleon  as  a  new  man — with  a  system 
subversive  of  the  established  order  of  things — and 
having  learned  to  fear  him  more  than  all  the  kings 
of  Europe  besides — the  English  ministry  were  deter- 
mined to  cage  the  imperial  lion. 

While  this  view  modifies  the  treatment,  it  does  not 
remove  the  indelible  stain  of  needless  cruelty  in  the 
banishment  and  confinement  of  the  noblest  foe  Britain 
ever  met  and  subdued. 

Preparations  were  now  hastened  for  the  voyage  to 
St.  Helena.  O'Meara,  surgeon  of  the  Belleroplion,  ac- 
cepted heartily  the  appointment  of  Napoleon's  j)hysi- 
cian.  The  remainder  of  his  suite  were  Count  Montho- 
lon  and  his  lady  ;  Count  Bertrand,  lady,  and  three 
children  ;  Baron  Gourgaud,  and  Count  Las  Cases. 
The  Nortlinmberland,  commanded  by  Sir  George 
Cockburn,  arrived  August  7th,  and  received  Napoleon 
with  his  circle  of  friends  on  board.  The  emperor  bade 
adieu  very  cordially  to  Captain  Maitland  and  his  offi- 
cers, thanking  them  for  their  magnanimous  bearing 
toward  him  while  in  the  Belleroplion.  The  testimony 
of  Maitland  respecting  his  prisoner  is  very  beautiful. 
He  writes,  "  It  may  appear  surprising  that  a  possibility 
should  exist  of  a  British  officer  being  prejudiced  in 
favor  of  one  who  had  caused  so  many  calamities  to  his 
country ;  but    to  such   an  extent    did  he    possess  the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  397 

power  of  pleasing,  that  tlicre  arc  few  people  who  could 
have  sat  at  the  same  table  with  him  for  nearly  a 
month,  as  I  did,  without  feeling  a  sensation  of  pity,  per- 
haps allied  to  regret,  tliat  a  man  possessed  of  so  many 
fascinating  qualities,  and  who  had  held  so  high  a  sta- 
tion in  life,  should  be  reduced  to  the  situation  in  which 
I  saw  him." 

The  Northnm'berJand  sailed  August  9th,  1815,  at- 
tended by  a  fleet  of  nine  vessels.  While  they  were 
tacking  out  of  the  channel,  Napoleon  looked  toward 
the  coast  of  France,  with  straining  vision,  to  catch 
one  more  glimpse  of  its  distant  outline.  The  clouds 
lifting  gave  him  the  sight,  and  "France  !  France  \" 
was  the  shout  of  the  self-exiled  companions  of  the 
captive-king.  The  emjjeror  gazed  silently,  and  then 
uncovering  his  head,  he  exclaimed,  Lund  of  the  hravc, 
I  salute  thee!  Farewell!  France,  farewell!"  The 
spectators  were  deeply  moved.  During  the  voyage 
Napoleon  threw  the  fascination  of  his  conversational 
powers  over  all,  winning  the  love  of  those  who  had 
been  taught  to  hate  him. 

October  15th,  the  cry  of  "  Land  !"  from  the  mast- 
head, attracted  toward  the  rising  form  of  an  island  the 
mournful  interest  of  the  royal  party  ;  and  the  next  day 
the  Korthumherland  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  St. 
Helena.  It  lies  six  thousand  miles  from  Europe,  and 
one  thousand  two  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  of 
Africa.  It  is  ten  miles  in  length,  and  six  broad,  Avith 
precipitous  cliffs,  preventing  access,  except  by  three 
narrow  defiles. 

Much  of  it  is  barren  rock,  with  pleasant  valleys  re- 
lieving this  desolation  amid  the  infinitude  of  waters. 
The  16th  Napoleon  disembarked,  and  walked  in  tlie 
shades  of  evening  the  streets  of  Jamestown. 

No  apartments  suitable  for  the  reception  of  the  exile 


398  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

were  found  iu  the  lonely  desert  to  which  he  was  borne. 
Longwood,  three  miles  from  Jamestown,  the  country 
house  of  the  lieutenant-governor,  and  situated  in  a 
wild  ravine,  was  selected  for  the  residence  of  Napoleon. 

"With  the  alterations  which  were  designed,  it  was  a 
scanty,  solitary  habitation,  assigned  to  the  greatest 
monarch  of  the  world,  and  his  faithful  band  of  friends. 
Tlie  immediate  residence  to  which  he  repaired  was 
culled  The  Briers — a  small  and  secluded  farmhouse, 
occujHed  by  Mr.  Balcombe,  who  made  every  effort  to 
afford  him  a  comfortable  seclusion. 

Napoleon's  bitter  complaints  and  appeals  to  the 
English  government  were  in  vain — nothing  was  done 
to  cheer  the  solitude  of  the  powerless  sovereign. 

December  lUth,  the  emjoeror  removed  to  Longwood. 
Guards  and  sentinels  encircled  his  grounds,  and  no 
means  of  security  were  sjxired  to  make  escape  from  the 
l)rison-isle  impossible.  In  the  spring  of  1816,  there 
was  a  change  in  the  government  of  St.  Helena,  which 
increased  the  annoyances  and  trials  of  Napoleon.  In 
reference  to  it  Lockhart,  in  whose  biography  of  the 
captive  is  the  severest  and  most  unqualified  condemna- 
tion of  his  motives  and  deeds,  writes  the  following  : 

''  In  April,  181G,  Sir  George  Cockburn  was  super- 
seded by  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  who  remained  governor  of 
St.  Helena,  and  had  the  charge  of  Napoleon's  person 
until  his  death.  The  conduct  of  this  officer  has  been 
much  and  justly  censured  by  various  writers.  Napo- 
leon conceived  and  retained  from  the  first  a  violent  dis- 
like toward  him  ;  and  the  governor,  as  soon  as  he  be- 
came aware  of  this,  did  not  fail  fully  to  reciprocate  it. 
It  seemed  that  every  circumstance,  whether  of  business 
or  of  etiquette,  which  occurred  at  St.  Helena,  was  cer- 
tain to  occasion  some  dis]nite  between  the  two,  the  pro- 
gress and   termination  of  wliich  seldom  passed  without 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  HONAP  \RTE.  399 

an  aggravation  of  mutual  hostilities.  It  was  deemed 
necessary  that  the  greatest  vigihuice  should  be  exer- 
cised, which  could  not  be  done  without  giving  offense 
to  the  liaughty  mind  of  Napoleon  ;  and  rather  than 
submit  to  the  restraints  which  were  imposed,  he  often 
chose  to  seclude  himself  within  the  precincts  of  Long- 
wood.  It  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  the  constant 
irritation  in  which  he  was  kept  toward  the  governor 
was  a  principal  means  of  shortening  his  life." 

And  yet  in  the  late  publication  of  the  Letters  and 
Journal  of  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  edited  by  William  For- 
syth, we  have  quite  a  different  view  of  the  matter. 
And  it  is  no  easy  task  to  reach  a  just  conclusion  be- 
tween these  conflicting  statements  from  official  papers 
and  private  diaries.  It  is  difficult  to  discei'n  how 
much  is  coloring  for  mere  effect,  and  which  are  the 
unadorned  facts  in  the  case.  Sir  Hudson  Lowe's 
journal  gives  the  regulations,  bill  of  fare,  and  allow- 
ance of  wines  ;  all  of  which,  if  these  statements  are  at 
all  reliable,  were  ample,  and  siiould  have  been  satisfac- 
tory. But  upon  comparing  the  notes  of  both  friends 
and  foes,  including  the  sale  of  silver  plate,  which  it 
was  affirmed  Napoleon  resorted  to,  that  he  might  not 
suffer  hunger,  we  are  compelled  to  believe  that  much 
was  done  and  said  by  the  exiles  to  awaken  sympathy  in 
their  behalf,  and  hatred  to  England  ;  Avhile  on  the 
other  hand,  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  feelings  and 
conduct  of  the  British  ministry  from  the  dawn  of 
Napoleon's  greatness,  they  did  pursue,  even  in  exile, 
with  enmity  and  injustice  the  man  whose  single  hand 
liad  shaken  the  throne  of  their  splendid  empire. 

Napoleon  was  much  of  the  time  cheerful,  but  often 
desponding,  indignant,  and  unhappy.  Without  re- 
ligious trust,  and  surrounded  by  skeptical  minds,  of 
whom    Montholon    was    acknowledged   to    be    witliout 


400  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

character  for  truthfulness,  he  certainly  was  no  model 
of  resignation — no  martyr,  calm  in  conscious  recti- 
tude and  purity  of  purpose.  The  visions  of  individual 
and  widespread  suffering  of  Egypt,  Spain,  and  Russia, 
and,  more  than  all  else,  of  JosejjJiiiie,  which  swept  over 
the  horizon  of  thought,  must  have  increased  his  dis- 
quietude, and  irritable  moods.  It  is  true,  he  bore 
eloquent  testimony  to  the  transcendent  excellence  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  the  deity  of  Christ,  but  not  a  day 
in  his  life  displayed  the  ^iractical  power  of  either  upon 
his  heart. 

Ilis  manner  of  living  was  regular  and  abstemious  ; 
"  he  never  took  more  than  two  meals  a  day,  and  con- 
cluded each  with  a  cup  of  coffee.  He  generally  break- 
fasted about  ten  o'clock,  and  dined  at  eight.  He 
preferred  plain  food,  and  ate  plentifully,  with  an  ap- 
parent appetite.  A  very  few  glasses  of  claret,  scarce 
amounting  to  an  English  pint,  which  he  chiefly  drank 
at  dinner,  completed  his  meal.  He  sometimes  drank 
champagne,  but  his  constitutional  sobriety  was  such 
that  a  large  glass  of  that  wine  Avould  bring  the  color 
to  his  cheek  ;  and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  few  men 
were  ever  less  influenced  by  the  api:)etites  peculiar  to 
man  than  Bonaparte.  He  was  exceedingly  particular 
as  to  the  neatness  and  cleanliness  of  his  j^erson,  and 
this  habit  he  preserved  till  his  death.'' 

In  converse  with  friends,  when  his  kingly  mind 
displayed  on  social,  civil,  scientific  and  moral  themes, 
the  amazing  scope  of  its  knowledge  and  its  penetra- 
tion— in  walks,  which  gradually  ceased  as  his  antipathy 
toward  the  espionage  under  which  he  moved  be- 
came more  intense — in  dictating  protests  against  the 
cruelty  of  his  foes,  and  memoirs  with  which  to  em- 
balm and  vindicate  his  fame — Napoleon  passed  more 
than   five  years   of   captivity ;  which   drew  to   it   the 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  401 

interest  of  the  world — an  interest  born  of  idolatrous 
admiration,  intellectual  homage,  military  enthusiasm, 
kindest  sympathy,  and  deepest  hate. 

The  neglect  of  exercise,  and  the  mental  struggles 
of  the  emperor  began  to  develop  constitutional  dis- 
ease, and  weaken  those  physical  energies  which  were 
no  less  marvelous  than  his  versatile  genius.  In  1817 
the  decay  of  strength  became  visible,  and  with  intervals 
of  relief  and  comfortable  convalescence,  he  steadily 
declined.  O'Meara  was  his  medical  attendant  till  the 
summer  of  1818,  when  Sir  Hudson  Lowe  removed  him 
on  account  of  his  sympathy  with  Napoleon.  The  lieu- 
tenant-general offered  him  the  services  of  an  English 
physician,  which  were  promptly  refused.  The  follow- 
ing year  the  British  government  consented  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  another  medical  adviser  by  his  friends  in 
Europe ;  and  Dr.  Antomarchi,  an  atheist,  accompanied 
by  two  Eomish  priests,  at  the  suggestion  of  Napoleon, 
arrived  at  St.  Helena.  The  interviews  with  these 
ecclesiastics  were  evidently  without  much  spiritual 
benefit.  Notwithstanding  the  effort  of  a  late  writer  to 
invest  the  captive's  whole  character,  especially  when 
its  finishing  touches  were  received  under  the  deepening 
shadows  of  his  last  hours,  with  Christian  graces,  we 
hear  him  discoursing  of  the  Elysian  fields,  where  he 
anticipated  meeting  with  his  marshals,  with  Hannibal, 
and  Cffisar,  and  having  a  pleasant  talk  over  their  battles  ; 
unless,  he  continued,  "  it  should  create  an  alarm  in 
the  spirit-world  to  see  so  many  warriors  assembled 
together."  This  certainly  was  nothing  better  than 
trifling,  and  the  whole  tenor  of  his  conversation  on  this 
momentous  theme  was  wanting  in  any  satisfactory 
recognition  of  his  relations  to  God,  and  his  mission 
among  men.  At  the  close  of  1820  his  symptoms  grew 
worse  ;  his  stomach  rejected  food  ;  his  repose  was  dis- 
26 


402  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

turbed,  and  his  frame  became  emaciated.  While  the 
succeeding  spring  was  clothing  the  wild  forests  with 
verdure,  -and  hanging  flowers  upon  the  cliffs  of  St. 
Helena,  Napoleon  was  rapidly  sinking  in  the  embrace 
of  his  fatal  malady.  He  made  the  disposition  of  his 
gifts  to  friends,  and  dictated  his  will,  which  contained 
"for  a  codicil,  ten  thousand  francs  to  the  wretch  who 
attempted  to  assassinate  the  Duke  of  Wellington.'' 

The  reason  assigned  for  this  astonishing  act  of  a 
dying  man,  is,  that  "  Cantallon  had  as  much  right  to 
murder  that  oligarchist,  as  the  latter  had  to  send  me 
to  perish  on  the  rock  of  St.  Helena.'' 

But  the  close  of  the  scenes  of  earth  drew  near.  May 
3d  the  last  sacraments  of  the  Catholic  church  were 
administered  by  Abbe  Vignali.  The  night  of  the  4th 
was  one  of  delirium.  The  tempest  began  to  rise,  while 
the  most  fearful  conflict  of  the  greatest  conqueror  of 
men  was  subsiding  in  the  victory  of  his  last   enemy. 

Amid  the  roar  of  elements,  his  mighty — ambitious 
— broken  heart — shouted  wildly,  "  Tete  d'armee  !  " 
Head  of  the  army  !  The  morning  broke  upon  the  spent 
warrior  ;  helpless  in  the  stujior  of  death's  approach, 
he  lay  till  the  tempestuous  day  was  fading  into  eve- 
ning, when  the  proud  spirit  passed  away  to  the  righteous 
tribunal  of  the  King  of  kings. 

A  post-mortem  examination  revealed,  what  Napo- 
leon had  for  some  time  previous  to  his  death  suspected, 
that  like  his  father  before  him,  he  was  the  victim  of  a 
cancer  in  the  stomach — aggravated  by  those  influences 
which  of  themselves  would  have  made  inroads  upon 
his  fine  constitution. 

A  letter  from  Bertrand  addressed  to  Joseph,  who 
had  taken  refuge  in  America,  and  was  living  in  New 
Jersey,  gives  an  interesting  narrative  of  these  events  : 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  403 

BERTRAKD  TO  JOSEPH. 

"  London,  September  10, 1831. 

"Prince — I  write  to  you  for  the  first  time  since 
the  awful  misfortune  which  has  beeu  added  to  the 
sorrows  of  your  family.  Uncertain  whether  a  letter 
would  reach  you,  as  I  was  not  quite  sure  of  your  address, 
I  hoped  that  a  letter  from  you  or  from  Eome  would 
acquaint  me  with  it.  I  have  decided  on  depositing 
this  letter  with  Messrs.  Baring,  and  I  hope  that  you 
will  receive  it. 

"Your  highness  is  acquainted  with  the  events  of  the 
first  years  of  this  cruel  exile  ;  many  persons  who  have 
visited  St.  Helena  have  informed  you  of  what  was 
still  more  interesting  to  you — the  manner  of  living  and 
the  unkind  treatment  which  aggravated  the  influences 
of  a  deadly  climate. 

"  In  the  last  year  of  his  life,  the  emperor,  who  for 
four  years  had  taken  no  exercise,  altered  extremely  in 
appearance  :  he  became  pale  and  feeble.  From  that 
time  his  health  deteriorated  rapidly  and  visibly.  He 
had  always  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  baths  ;  he  now 
took  them  more  frequently  and  stayed  longer  in  them  ; 
they  appeared  to  relieve  him  for  the  time. 

"  Latterly,  Dr.  Antomarchi  forbade  him  their  use, 
as  he  thought  that  they  only  increased  his  weakness. 

**  In  the  month  of  August  he  took  walking  exercise, 
but  with  difficulty  ;  he  was  forced  to  stoj)  every  min- 
ute. In  the  first  years  he  used  to  walk  Avhile  dictating ; 
he  walked  about  his  room,  and  thus  did  without  the 
exercise  which  he  feared  to  take  out  of  doors  lest  he 
should  expose  himself  to  insult.  But  latterly  his 
strength  would  not  admit  even  of  this.  He  remained 
sitting  nearly  all  day,  and  discontinued  almost  all  oc- 
cupation.    His  health  declined  sensibly  every  month. 


404  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

**  Once  in  September,  and  again  in  the  beginning  of 
October,  he  rode  out,  as  his  physicians  desired  him  to 
take  exercise  ;  but  he  was  so  weak  that  he  was  obliged 
to  return  in  his  carriage.  He  ceased  to  digest  ;  his 
debility  increased.  Shivering  fits  came  on,  which  ex- 
tended even  to  the  extremities  ;  hot  towels  applied  to 
the  feet  gave  him  some  relief.  He  suffered  from  these 
cold  fits  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life.  As  he  could  no 
longer  either  walk  or  ride,  he  took  several  drives  in  an 
open  carriage  at  a  foot  pace,  but  without  gaining 
strength.  He  never  took  off  his  dressing-gown.  His 
stomach  rejected  food,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  he 
was  forced  to  give  up  meat  ;  he  lived  upon  jellies  and 
soups.  For  some  time  he  ate  scarcely  anything,  and 
drank  only  a  little  pure  wine,  hoping  thus  to  support 
nature  without  fatiguing  the  digestion  ;  but  the  vomit- 
ing continued,  and  he  returned  to  soups  and  jellies. 
The  remedies  and  tonics  which  were  tried  produced  little 
effect.  His  body  grew  weaker  every  day,  but  his  mind 
retained  its  strength. 

"  He  liked  reading  and  conversation  ;  he  did  not  dic- 
tate much,  although  he  did  so  from  time  to  time  up  to 
the  last  days  of  his  life.  He  felt  that  his  end  was  ap- 
proaching, and  he  frequently  recited  the  passage  from 
*  Zaire '  which  finishes  with  this  line  : — 

*'  *  A  revoir  Paris  je  ne  dois  plus  pretendre.' 

Nevertheless  the  hope  of  leaving  this  dreadful  country 
often  presented  itself  to  his  imagination  ;  some  news- 
paper articles  and  false  reports  excited  our  expecta- 
tions. We  sometimes  fancied  that  we  were  on  the  eve 
of  starting  for  America  ;  we  read  travels,  we  made 
plans,  we  arrived  at  your  house,  we  Avandered  over  that 
immense  country,  where  alone  we  might  hope  to  enjoy 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  405 

liberty.  Vain  hopes  !  vain  projects  ;  which  only  made 
us  doubly  feel  our  misfortunes. 

*•'  They  could  not  have  been  borne  with  more  seren- 
ity and  courage,  I  might  almost  add  gaiety.  He  often 
said  to  us  in  the  evening,  '  Where  shall  we  go  ?  to  the 
Theater  Fran9ais,  or  to  the  Opera?'  And  then  he 
would  read  a  tragedy  by  Corneille,  Voltaire,  or  Eacine  ; 
an  opera  of  Quinault's  or  one  of  Moliere's  comedies. 
His  strong  mind  and  powerful  character  were  perhaps 
even  more  remarkable  than  on  that  larger  theater 
where  he  eclipsed  all  that  is  brightest  in  ancient  and 
in  modern  history.  He  often  seemed  to  forget  what  he 
had  been.  I  was  never  tired  of  admiring  his  2:)hilosophy 
and  courage,  the  good  sense  and  the  fortitude  which 
raised  him  above  misfortune. 

"  At  times,  however,  sad  regrets  and  recollections  of 
what  he  had  done,  contrasted  with  what  he  might  have 
done,  presented  themselves.  He  talked  of  the  past  with 
perfect  frankness  ;  persuaded  that  on  the  whole  he  had 
done  what  he  was  required  to  do,  and  not  sharing  the 
strange  and  contradictory  opinions  which  we  hear  ex- 
pressed every  day  on  events  which  are  not  understood 
by  the  speakers.  If  the  conversation  took  a  melancholy 
turn,  he  soon  changed  it  ;  he  liked  to  talk  of  Corsica, 
of  his  old  uncle  Lucien,  of  his  youth,  of  you,  and  of  all 
the  rest  of  the  family. 

**  Toward  the  middle  of  March  fever  came  on.  From 
that  time  he  scarcely  left  his  bed,  except  for  about 
half  an  hour  in  the  day  ;  he  seldom  had  the  strength 
to  shave.  He  now  for  the  first  time  became  extremely 
thin.  The  fits  of  vomiting  became  more  frequent. 
He  then  questioned  the  pliysicians  on  the  conforma- 
tion of  the  stomach,  and  about  a  fortnight  before  his 
death  he  had  pretty  nearly  guessed  that  he  was  dying 
of  cancer.     He  was  read  to  almost  every  day,  and  die- 


406  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

tated  a  few  days  before  his  decease.  He  often  talked 
naturally  as  to  the  probable  mode  of  his  death  ;  but 
when  he  became  aware  that  it  was  approaching  lie  left 
off  speaking  on  the  subject.  He  thought  much  about 
you  and  your  children.  To  his  last  moment  he  was 
kind  and  affectionate  to  us  all ;  he  did  not  appear  to 
suffer  so  much  as  might  have  been  expected  from  the 
cause  of  his  death.  When  we  questioned  him,  he 
said  that  he  suffered  a  little,  but  that  he  could  bear 
it.  His  memory  declined  during  the  last  five  or  six 
days  ;  his  deep  sighs,  and  his  exclamations  from  time 
to  time,  made  us  think  that  he  was  in  great  pain.  He 
looked  at  us  with  the  penetrating  glance  which  you 
know  so  well ;  we  tried  to  dissimulate,  but  he  was  so 
used  to  read  our  faces  that  no  doubt  he  frequently 
discovered  our  anxiety.  He  felt  too  clearly  the  gradual 
decline  of  his  faculties  not  to  be  aware  of  his  state. 

"  For  the  last  two  hours  he  neither  spoke  nor  moved  ; 
the  only  sound  was  his  difficult  breathing,  which  gradu- 
ally but  regularly  decreased  ;  his  pulse  ceased ;  and 
so  died,  surrounded  only  by  a  few  servants,  the  man- 
who  had  dictated  laws  to  the  world,  and  whose  life 
should  have  been  preserved  for  the  sake  of  the  happi- 
ness and  glory  of  our  sorrowing  country. 

''Forgive,  Prince,  a  hurried  letter,  which  tells  you 
so  little,  when  you  wish  to  know  so  much ;  but  I 
should  never  end  if  I  attempted  to  tell  all. 

"  You  are  so  far  off,  that  I  know  not  when  I  shall 
have  the  honor  of  seeing  you  again.  I  must  not  omit 
to  say  that  the  emperor  was  most  anxious  that  his  cor- 
respondence with  the  different  sovereigns  of  Europe 
should  be  printed ;  he  repeated  this  to  us  several 
times.  In  his  will  the  emperor  expressed  a  wish  that 
his  remains  should  be  buried  in  France  ;  however,  in 
the  last  days  of  his  life  he  ordered  me,  if  there  was  any 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  4(j7 

difficulty  about  it,  to  la}"  him  l^y  the  side  of  the  fount- 
aiu  whose  waters  he  had  so  long  drank." 

Napoleon's  body  was  dressed  as  in  life,  ''  with  white 
waistcoat,  and  breeches,  black  cravat,  long  boots,  and 
cocked  hat."  Thus  laid  out  in  a  room  hung  with 
mourning,  the  military  cloak  worn  at  Marengo  thrown 
over  his  feet,  and  a  crucifix  on  his  breast,  the  Abbe 
Vignali  said  prayers  for  the  repose  of  his  soul,  while 
the  spreading  intelligence  of  his  death  brought  many 
to  the  place  of  mourning.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th, 
the  corpse  was  removed  to  a  coffin  of  tin,  enclosed  in 
lead,  which  was  covered  by  another  of  mahogany,  and 
drawn  by  four  horses,  was  borne  to  the  secluded  spot 
the  departed  emperor  had  chosen. 

Sir  Hudson  Lowe  remarked  amid  these  last  offices, 
"  He  was  England's  greatest  enemy  and  mine  too ; 
but  I  forgive  him."  The  27tli  witnessed  the  embarka- 
tion of  the  household  friends  of  Napoleon  for  France. 

July,  1830,  brought  a  new  revolution  there — the 
Bourbons  were  driven  from  the  throne,  and  Louis 
Philippe  crowned.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies  present- 
ed a  petition,  asking  for  a  demand  upon  the  English 
government  for  the  remains  of  NajDoleon  to  repose, 
according  to  his  desire,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Seine. 
But  decisive  action  was  delayed.  In  July,  1832,  the 
only  son  of  the  emperor,  named  King  of  Eome,  but 
called  by  the  Austrian  monarch  the  Duke  of  Eeich- 
stadt,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years — terminating, 
in  a  direct  line,  the  dynasty  for  which  a  wife  had  been 
immolated  upon  the  altar  of  ambition. 

In  the  spring  of  1840,  M.  Guizot  presented  the 
claim  for  Napoleon's  ashes  to  the  British  ministry.  A 
few  days  later,  the  following  note  was  sent  by  Lord 
Palmerston,  in  reply  : 


408  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

''The  government  of  her  Britannic  Majesty  hopes 
that  the  promptness  of  its  answer  may  be  considered 
in  France  as  a  proof  of  its  desire  to  blot  out  the  last 
trace  of  those  national  animosities  which,  during  the 
life  of  the  emperor,  armed  England  and  France  against 
each  other.  Her  majesty's  government  hopes  that  if 
such  sentiments  survive  anywhere,  they  may  be  buried 
in  the  tomb  about  to  receive  the  remains  of  Napo- 
leon." 

Accordingly  the  Prince  de  Joinville,  with  two  war- 
ships, sailed  for  St.  Helena.  He  arrived  on  the  8th 
of  October,  and  upon  the  15th,  the  anniversary  day  of 
Napoleon's  landing  there,  the  work  of  exhuming  the 
remains  commenced.  After  nine  hours  of  labor,  the 
coffin  was  lifted  to  the  light  of  heaven.  The  cover- 
ings of  the  silent  form  were  removed,  and  there,  unde- 
cayed,  lay  the  marble  face,  whose  expression  had  awed 
the  kings  of  Europe.  A  tempest  rose  and  sounded 
the  requiem  of  the  funeral  march  of  the  second  burial, 
as  it  had  done  the  transit  of  his  soul  to  the  realm  of 
spirits. 

Amid  the  firing  of  salutes,  and  beneath  flying  ban- 
ners, the  coffin  was  conveyed  to  the  ship.  It  sailed 
on  the  18th  of  October  for  France — a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury after  his  exile  began. 

December  2d,  the  flotilla  reached  the  harbor  of  Cher- 
bourg, where  the  remains  were  received  by  the  steam- 
ship Normandy,  and  conveyed  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Seine.  The  progress  of  the  imposing  ceremonial  was 
attended  by  all  the  display  of  2)opular  enthusiasm  pe- 
culiar to  the  nation,  and  which  was  so  grateful  to  the 
living  emperor,  but  now  fell  upon  the  rayless  eye,  and 
"dull,  cold  ear  of  death." 

At  Havre,  the  rioli  sarcophagus  of  ebony  was  placed 
on  an  imperial  barge  in  the  miniature  chapel,  covered 


LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  409 

with  emblems  of  mouruing,  and  the  funeral  cortege 
of  twelve  steamers  moved  np  the  river  Seine,  toward 
Paris. 

Along  the  banks,  for  a  hundred  miles,  the  populace 
stood  in  endless  lines,  and  over  them  waved  gorge- 
ous flags — and  above  them  rose  the  triumphal  arches 
and  pyramids  covered  with  purple  and  spangled  with 
golden  stars.  We  cannot  feel  for  a  moment  in  the 
sober  light  of  revelation,  that  the  answer  to  a  question 
proposed  by  a  biographer  of  the  departed  warrior,  is  at 
all  doubtful  of  solution  :  ''  Did  Xapoleon,  from  the 
spirit  land,  witness  this  scene,  and  rejoice  in  the  tri- 
umph of  his  fame  ?  "  lie  had  to  do  with  more  serious 
employments,  and  a  calmer,  clearer  review  of  his 
crimson  path  of  renown,  than  the  illusions  of  earth 
allowed. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  lith,  the  cortege  arrived  at 
Courbevoie,four  miles  from  the  capital. 

A  statue  of  Josephine  welcomed  the  ashes  of  him 
who  had  broken  her  lieart,  while  Maria  Louisa  was 
quietly  living  at  Parma,  ajiparently  careless  of  the  stir- 
ring pageantry  as  the  throngs  were  forgetful  of  her. 

The  remains  were  taken  on  shore  to  a  Grecian  tem- 
ple constructed  for  the  occasion,  and  thence  placed 
upon  a  magnificent  funeral  car.  Thronged  with  ex- 
cited millions,  the  royal  chariot  passed  on  to  the 
church  of  the  Invalides,  which  was  decorated  with 
splendor  exceeding  that  of  any  oriental  palace.  Upon 
the  shoulders  of  thirty-two  of  the  Old  Guard,  it  was 
borne  toward  its  resting  place  in  the  temple,  when 
Louis  Philippe  and  the  dignitaries  of  state  advanced  to 
receive  the  sacred  relics. 

The  coffin  was  deposited  in  the  catafalque,  the  sword 
of  Napoleon  laid  upon  it  by  General  Bertrand,  mass 
was  celebrated,  and  the  crowd  slowly  left  the  illustrious 


410  LTFE  OF  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE. 

dead  to  the  silence  of  that  rejDose  which  mocks  the 
strife,  the  ambition,  and  the  glory  of  men. 

Napoleon  was  great — intellectually  towering  above 
the  princes  and  monarchs  of  many  generations,  as 
Mont  Blanc  overtops  the  Alps  and  the  Apennines.  He 
had  no  rival  in  the  tactics  of  war — in  the  sanguinary 
tragedies,  whose  actors  were  kings,  and  whose  arena 
was  a  hemisphere.  His  ardent  imagination  was  under 
the  guidance  of  reason,  whose  intuitions  were  clear  as 
morning  light,  and  as  rapid  in  their  comprehensive 
action.  His  sovereignty  was  more  elevating  to  the 
masses,  and  far-reaching  in  its  aims,  than  that  of  any 
of  his  lauded  foes.  But  he  was  "  a  moral  dicarf,"  and 
even  in  his  magnanimous  deeds,  always  advanced  his 
fame.  He  aspired  after  unquestioned  preeminence 
among  the  thrones  of  Europe,  but  he  had  not  the  higher 
qualities  of  heart  and  the  pure  philanthrojiy  which 
would  have  made  it  safe  to  hold  the  power  that  seemed 
at  times  within  his  grasp. 

Rulers  and  people  of  future  generations  will  muse 
with  wondering  over  his  brilliant  career — the  wide- 
spread suffering  which  attended  it — the  noble  deeds, 
the  gigantic  crimes,  and  the  retributive  fall  of 

NAPOLEON   BONAPARTE. 


THE   END. 


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Early  Days  of  Christianity.     By  F.  \V. 

F.-iRRAR. 

East  Lynne.     By  Mrs.  Henry  Wood. 

Edith  Lyle's  Secret  By  Mary  J. 
Holmes. 

Education.     By  Herbert  Spencer. 

Egoist.     By  Gsokge   Meredith. 

Egyptian    Princess.     By    George 
Ebers. 

Eight  Hundred  Leagues  on  the  Ama- 
zon.    By  Jules  Verne. 

Eliot's  Poems.     By  George  Eliot. 

Elizabeth  and  her  German  Garden. 

Elizabeth  (Queen  of  England),  Life  of. 
By  Edward  Spencer  Beesly,  M..\. 

Elsie  Venner.  By  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes. 

Emerson's  Essays,  (complete.)  By 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

Emerson's  Poems.     By  Ralph  Waldo 

Ij-MERSON. 

English     Orphans,       By      Marv      ]. 


English  Traits.      By  R.  W.  Emerson 
Essays     in     Criticism.     (First     anj 

Second     Si:ries.)     By     Matthev 

Arnold. 
Essays  of  Ela.     Bv  Charles  Lamb. 
Esther      By  Rosa  X.  Carey. 
Ethelyn's      liistake.     By      Mary      J. 

Holmes. 
Evangeline,     (with    notes.)     By    H 

W.  Longfellow. 
Evelina.     By  Frances  Burnev. 
Fair  Maid  of  Peith.     By  Sir  Walts'^ 

Scott. 
Fairy  Land  of  Science.     By  Arabeli.1 

B.  Buckiey. 
Faust.     (Goethe.)     Translated    B'S 

.A.N.VA  Swan  WICK. 
FelLx  Holt.     By  George  Eltot. 
Fifteen  Decisivf  Battles  of  the  World 

Bv  E.  S.  CRiiASY. 
File  No.  113.     By  Emile  Gabor'au. 
Firm   of   Girdlestone.     By  A.   Conak 

Doyle. 
First  Principles.  Bv  Herbert  Spencer. 
Fi/st  Violin.     Bv  Jessie  Fothergill. 
For  Lilias.     By  Rosa  N.  Carey. 
Fortunes  of  Nigel.     By  Sir  Walter 

Scott. 
Forty-Five  Guardsmen.     By  Alexan- 
dre   Dl"MAS. 

Foul  Play.     Bv  Charles  Reade. 
Fragments     of     Science.     By     John 

TVNDALL. 

Frederick,    the    Great,    Life    of.     By 

Francis  Kugi.er. 
Frederick  the  Great  and  His  Court.     By 

Louisa   Muhlbach. 
French  Revolution.     By  Thomas  Car- 

LVLE. 

From    the    Earth    to    the    Moon.     B^ 

Jules  Verne. 
Garibaldi,  General,  Life  of.     By  Thko. 

DORE    DwIGHT. 

Gil  Bias,  Adventures  of.     By  A.  R.  Le 

Sa';e. 
Gold     Bug     and     Other     Tales.     B^ 

Edgar  A.  Poe. 
Gold  Elsie.     By  E.  Marlitt. 
Golden    Treasury.     By    Francis    1. 

Palgrave. 
Goldsmith's      Poems.       By      OLiVEa 

Goldsmith. 
Grandfather's  Chair.     By  Nathaniej 

Hawthorne. 
Grant,  Ulysses  S.,  Life  of.     By  J.  1 

Headley. 
Gray's  Poems.     By  Thomas  Gray. 
Great      Expectations.     By      CharlW 

Dickens. 
Greek    Heroes      Fairy   Tales    for    M, 

Children.     By  Charles  Kingsley 
Green  Mountain  Boys,  The.     By  D.  P 

Thompson, 
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Brothers  Grimm. 
Grimm's     Popular     Tales.     By     th? 

Brothers  Grimm. 
Gulliver's  Travels.     By  Dean   Swifi 
Guj    Mannering.     By    Sir    Waltes 


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Charlotte  Molvneux  Hollov"    y. 
Handy  Andy.     By  Samuel  Lovek, 
Hans  of  Iceland.     By  Victor  Hugo. 
Hannibal,   the   Carthaginian,   Lii  ■  of. 

By  Thomas  Arnold,  M.  A. 
Hardy  Norseman,  A.    By  Edna  Lyall. 
Harold.     By  Bulwer-Lytton. 
Harry  Lorrequer.    By  Charles  Lever. 
Heart  of  Midlothian.     By  Sir  Walter 

Scott. 
Heir  of  Redclyffe.     By  Charlette  M. 

Yo.voe. 
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Hemans. 
fienry  Esmond.     By  "Wm.  M.  Thack- 
eray. 
Henry,  Patrick,  Life  of.     By  William 

Wirt. 
Her  Dearest  Foe.     By  Mrs.  Alexan- 
der. 
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Heriot's  Choice.     By  Rosa  N.  Carey. 
Heroes      and      Hero-Worship.         By 

Thomas  Carlyle. 
Hiawatha,     (with  notes.)     ByH.W. 

Longfellow. 
Hidden  Hand,  The.    (complete.)   By 

Mrs.  E.  D.  E.   N.  Southworth. 
History    of    a    Crime.       By    Victor 

Hugo. 
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.M.  GuizoT. 
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Wendell  Holmes. 
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J.  Holmes. 
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Victor  Hugo. 
Hypatia.     By   Charles   Kingsley. 
Hyperion.     By    Henry    Wadsworth 

Longfellow. 
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Idle  Thoughts  of  an  Idle  Fellow.     By 

Jepome  K.  Jerome. 
Oiad,     Pope's  Translation. 
Jnez,      Cv    Augusta  J.  Evans. 
[ngeiow'fa  Poems.     By  Jean  Ingelow. 
iaitiaJs.     By    the    Baroness    Taut- 

PHOEUS. 

Intellectual     Life.     By      Philip     G. 

Hamerton. 
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Marlitt. 
In     the     Golden     Days.     By     Edna 

Lyall. 
Li    the    Heart    of    the    Storm.     By 

Maxwell  Gray. 
\n  the  Schillingscourt.     By  E.  Mar- 

i.'TT. 

l^Umael.     (complftr.>     Bv    Mi--,.    I-. 

D.   li.  N.  South\\'('1.'tii. 
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Char  LBS  Keai^u. 


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Jane  Eyre.     Bv  Charlotte  Bronte, 
Jefferson,      Thomas,      Life      of.     By 

Samuel  M.  Schmucker,  LL.D. 
Joan    of    Arc,    Life    of.     By    Jules 

Michelet. 
John   Halifax,   Gentleman.     By   Miss 

MULOCK. 

Jones,  John  Paul,  Life  of.     By  James 

Otis. 

Joseph     Balsamo.     By     Alexandre 
Dumas. 

Josephine,  Empress  of  France,  Life  of 
By  Frederick  A.  Ober. 

Keats'  Poems.     By  John  R  eats. 

Kenilworth.     By  Sir  Walter  ScoW 

Kidnapped.     By  R.  L.  Stevenson. 

King  Arthur  and  His  Noble  Knights. 
Bv  Marv  Macleod. 

Knickerbocker's  History  of  New  Yorb 
Rv  Washington   Irving. 

Knight  Errant.     Bv  Edna  Lyall. 

Koran.     Translated      by      George 
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Lady  \i-ith  the  Rubies.     By  E.  Mar- 
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Lalla     Rookh.     (with     notes.)     By 
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Last  Days  of  Pompeii.     By  Bulwer- 
Lytton. 

Last    of    the    Barons.     By    Bmlwer- 

LVTTON. 

Last    of    the    Mohicans.     By    James 

Fenimore  Cooper. 
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NOTES.)     Bv  Sir   Walter  Scott. 
Lee,  Gene<^al  Robert  E.,  Life  of.     By 

G.  J,Iercer  Ada.m. 
Lena  Rivers.     By  Mary  J.  Holmes. 
Life    of    Christ.     By    Frederick    "W 

Farrak. 
Life  oi  Jesus.     By  Ernest  Renan, 
Light     of     Asia.     By     Sir     Edwin 

Arnold. 
Light     That     Failed.     By     RudyarE 

Kipling. 
Lincoln,      Abraham,      Life      of.     Bn 

Hu.nrv  Krtcham. 
Lincoln's    Speeches.     Selected    ani 

Edited  bv  G.  Mercer   Adam. 
Literature  and  Dogma.     By  Matthev 

Arnold. 
Little  Dorrit.     By  Charles  Dickens 
Little  Minister.     By  James  M.  Bakrie 
Livingstone,      David,      Life      of.     By 

Thomas  IIughes. 
Lonefellow's  Poems.      (Early.)     Bt 

Henrv  AV.  Longfellow. 
Li'P.a  Doone.     Bv  R.  D.  Blackmorb 
Loui,"  rle  la  VaUiere.     By  Alex  an  run 

In-MA.,. 
Love  Me  Little,  Love  Me  Lonfi,      B» 

OUARLBS  KbAOS. 


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Macaulay's  Literary  Essays.     Bv  T.  B. 

.\L*.caulay. 
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IN'GTO.'^    ^L\CAULAY. 

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Magic  Skin.     By  Honore  de  Balzac. 
Mahomet,  Life  of.     By   Washixgtom 

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PHANT. 

Makers    of    Venice.     By    Mrs.    Oli- 

PHANT. 

Man  and  Wife.     By  Wilkie  Collins. 

Man  in  the  Iron  Mask.  By  Alexan- 
dre Dumas. 

Marble  Faun.  By  Nathaniel  Haw- 
thorne. 

Marguerite  de  la  Valois.  By  Alex- 
andre    DU.MAS. 

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Marius,  The  Epicurian.  By  Walter 
Pater. 

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.\L\CPONALD. 

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Meditations      of      Marcus      Aurelius. 

Translated  by  George  Long. 
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dre  Dumas. 
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Micah  Clarke.     By  A.  Conan  Dolve. 
Michael  Strogoff.     By  Jules  Verne. 
Middlemarch.     By  George   Eliot. 
Midshipman  Easy.     By  Captain  Mar- 

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Millbank.     By  Mary  J.  Holmes. 
Mill  on  the  Floss.     By  George  Ei.iot. 
Milton's  Poems.     By  John  Milton 
Mine  Own  People.     ByRudyardKip- 

ling. 
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Moonstone.     By    Wilkie    Collins. 
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Ep^-a-'   A'j.rn  Pof. 
]VI>D'.enous  island.     B,  Jules  Vepne. 
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C.  Hbaolsv. 


I    Napoleon   and   His   Marshals.     By  J. 

T.  Headlev. 
Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World 

By  He.nry  Drum.mond. 
Narrative  of  Arthur  Gordon  Pym.     Bt 

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R.  \V.  Emerson. 
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EN.'i. 

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Not  Like  Other  Girls.     By  Rosa  K 

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LITT. 

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Our     Mutual    Friend.     By    Chat.le^ 

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Owl's  Nest.     By  E.  Marlitt. 

Page    of    the    Duke    of    Savoy      B 

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Pair     of     Blue     Eyes.     By     Thoma 

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Pathfinder.     By     James      FENiMOk» 

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Thackeray. 
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worth   Dixon. 
Pere  Goriot.     By  Honore  d«  Balzac 
Peter,  the  Great,  Life  of.     By    Iohs 

Barrow. 
Peveril  of  the  Peak.     By  Sir  Waltei 

Scott. 
Phantom   Rickshaw,   The.     By    Ruo 

yard    KlPLTXr,. 

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*  ^cieU.    By  X.  B.  Saintinb. 


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Plato's  Dialogues.  Translated  by  J. 
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Prairie.     By  James  F.  Cooper. 

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Silas  Marner.     By  George  Elioi. 
Silence  of  Dean  Maitland.     By  Max. 

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Sir  Gibbie.     By  George  Macdonald 
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Socrates,  Trial  and  Death  of.     Trans 

lated  by  F.  J.  CuuRci:,  M.  A. 
Soldiers    Three,     By    Rudyard    Kip- 

Ll.MG. 

Springhaven.  By  R.  D.  Blackmoke 
Spy.  By  James  Fenimore  Cooper 
Stanley,  Henry  M.,  African  Explores, 

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story  of  John  G.  Paton.    Told  ."on 

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